


The Missing

by arashianelf



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-21
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-30 01:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 27,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arashianelf/pseuds/arashianelf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there :) This is my first Arashi ongoing fic! I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Disclaimer: Arashi belongs to themselves and JE.

Fallen leaves cracked as a man trudged his way home, carrying his latest hunt to his cottage in the woods. Looking alertly around, he spotted a glimmer of light as one of the few rays of sun that were able to reach the forest floor was reflected off something.

As he went to investigate, he was met with the sight of a cage with five... balls? No, they were small boys, he could see their eyes peeking out from where they were huddled together with their knees pulled up and faces mostly hidden behind them.

He gasped at the sight. "Oh my- Who did this to you poor things?" he murmured as he inspected the cage. The boys seemingly shrunk even more. "Ah, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just looking to see how I can open this cage," the man assured.

'Strange,' he thought, upon finding that the lock was a mess on the forest floor, as if someone had melted it and left it to harden. Removing it, he opened the door of the cage. "There, you're free to go," the man said satisfactorily. It was then that he noticed the boys looking at him fearfully. "I'm not going to hurt you, kids. I live alone in a cottage near here, and I was bringing back lunch," the man gestured at the deer he had killed.

"You can follow me if you want," the man shrugged and turned away, hauling the deer onto his shoulders again. He had barely walked ten steps before he heard crackling behind him. The man smiled.

-

The boys ate ravenously. The man watched in horror and admiration as they gulped down bowls of the stew he had made from the deer. He himself ate his own bowl slowly, taking the time to observe the children. Despite the dirt on their clothes, he could tell that they were wearing clothes made of silk and cloth. Only the people from the cities wore clothes made from silk, he knew, so why were these children in a cage in the forest if they were from the cities?

As he pondered, he realized that the clattering of spoon against bowl had stopped. He looked up from his empty bowl to see five pairs of eyes looking at him, with various degrees of caution. "Oh, you boys are done eating?" he asked, and received nods. "Well then, let me clear this up before I run baths for all of you, and for myself once you boys are done," the man stood to clear the table before one of the boys carefully collected his and his friends' bowls before passing it to the man. The man smiled. "Thank you," he said. The boy nodded.

After running baths for the boys (they would have to take turns), the man went to his closet and picked out five shirts and pants. He then sat down and began to alter the clothes to the boys' approximate size for them to wear after they had bathed.

After the man had had his own shower, he emerged fully dressed and rubbing at his hair with a towel, before turning into the space he called the living room, faced with five clean boys staring up at him as they sat on the stools that he had dug up from the storage room.

One of the boys stood up and said carefully, "Thank you for your hospitality, kind sir. My name is Sakurai Sho, and these are Ohno Satoshi, Aiba Masaki, Ninomiya Kazunari and Matsumoto Jun. May I ask your name?" The man was taken aback. Everyone in the kingdom knew who these boys were! Who wouldn't? They were from the different royal households of Ohno, Sakurai, Aiba, Ninomiya and Matsumoto, which meant that these boys were most likely the future heirs of the kingdom!

Composing himself, the man said, "My name is Johnny Kitagawa, but you may call me Johnny-san."


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

"Johnny-san," Sho said politely after a moment of awkward silence. "Yes?" Johnny inquired. "We were wondering how we could get back to our homes," Sho replied. Johnny frowned. If he remembered correctly, the oldest was the Water child, Ohno, at 13, then the Fire child, Sakurai, 2 months younger than Ohno, followed by the Earth child, Aiba, who was one year younger than Sakurai. Then would be the Air child, Ninomiya, who was 6 months younger than Aiba. The youngest was the Spirit child, Matsumoto, 3 months younger than Ninomiya, all of which were far too young to travel through the forest.

"You five are too young to travel through the forest by yourselves. Besides, your magic probably hasn't been awakened yet. The forest is too dangerous for you kids at this stage," Johnny replied. Sho frowned. "Then why don't you accompany us?" Sho queried.

Johnny chuckled. "I only allow myself to wander out of this place four times every year, at the change of the seasons. It is mid-spring now, so I cannot accompany you. I can, however," Johnny said, upon seeing their downcast faces, "train each of you to be strong enough to fight anything you meet in the forest, be it by yourselves or together." "You are a Spirit magic user?" Jun asked. Johnny smiled. "Not just that, kid. You can ask your family when you finally get home," he replied.

Looking out of the window, Johnny clapped his hands once and stood up. "Training will begin tomorrow. Now will be the time to prepare dinner," he announced. At once, five pairs of eyes lit up at the thought of more food.

-

The next day, Johnny sat down with the five boys after having breakfast.

"We will now begin the training. Every one of you will have different things to do, so do not disturb one another until I release you if you want to leave the forest faster. Ohno-kun, there is a bowl of water in the kitchen. Bring it to the table and focus your magic on it. I want you to try and make it float. Sakurai-kun, there is a stack of firewood waiting for you outside the cottage. I want you to take one log and try to set it alight. Aiba-kun, there is a garden on the right once you go outside. There is an empty row that is planted with seeds. I want you to try and make one grow. Ninomiya-kun, what you will try to do is to shape balls of air. You can do this inside the cottage or outside, it doesn't matter. Lastly, Matsumoto-kun. You will be trying to levitate a stool. Do not feel discouraged if you do not succeed by the time I release you. It is only a matter of time and practice. You may go to your assigned places," Johnny told them their tasks and watched as all of them, with the exception of Jun, scampered off.

"I will start by observing you, Matsumoto-kun. Go ahead," Johnny stood to the side as the youngest's eyes narrowed in determination and concentration. After a few minutes of the kid staring at the stool, Johnny sighed and said, "Stop, kid. Relax your muscles. Seek that light inside you. Clear your mind of everything but the task." As Jun obeyed him, Johnny said, "Good. Now try again. Focus on the stool." Jun opened his eyes and focused again. The stool trembled. Upon seeing that, Jun smiled, breaking his concentration. "Excellent, Matsumoto-kun. Keep on doing that," Johnny said as he left the living area.

He headed towards the kitchen, where the oldest, Ohno, was situated. He also found Ninomiya-kun with him. Ohno-kun had already managed to get a small amount of water to float. "Good, Ohno-kun. Now, focus on wanting to let the rest of the water join that amount," Johnny advised. Slowly, more and more water joined the small amount floating in the air. "You're doing great, just maintain all the water at that position for two minutes, then direct it back into the bowl. Rest for a minute or two and try again," Johnny said.

Near Ohno, Ninomiya was still trying to form the balls of air. Slight wisps of wind could be felt, but still no ball of air formed. Ninomiya's lips pursed as he grew more and more frustrated. "Stop. What were you thinking of when you wanted to create that ball of air?" Johnny stopped Ninomiya and asked him. "A ball," Ninomiya stated. "Don't think of a ball. Instead, try thinking about how you want the air to gather in one place, then you shape it to become a ball. Try doing that," Johnny commented. Ninomiya frowned as he concentrated. Slowly, Johnny could feel the air gathering. "Excellent. Keep on trying." Johnny moved on outside, where the Fire and Earth children were.

Sakurai already had the log smoking as he tried to set it alight. "Good job. Keep it up!" Johnny commented and made his way to the Earth child. Aiba had already one shoot growing, and was in the process of letting the second one grow. As Johnny watched, a shoot emerged from the soil as Aiba smiled brightly and opened his eyes. "Excellent work, Aiba-kun," Johnny praised him. Aiba smiled even brighter at him, if that were even possible.

After letting them practice for a while more, Johnny called. "All of you are released! Go take a break!" Sakurai and Aiba sighed happily and slowly made their way back into the cottage, Johnny following.

As soon as the five boys were seated and drinking water, Johnny looked at them all and announced, "Excellent work for the first day of training, all of you. I will be preparing lunch now, and after lunch chores will be assigned. If you five are staying here for the time being, you might as well learn to do some chores. For now, you're free to rest until I have finished preparing lunch.

-

Weeks passed as the boys improved, whether in magic or chores. The five boys slowly got used to the hard work and had more control over their magic. Everyday, without fail, one of them would ask whether they were ready to leave. Until one day, seven weeks after the boys had been found in that cage, Aiba suggested an ingenious plan to leave the house when Johnny wasn't looking and find their own way out of the forest.

At the time, their magic hadn't fully reached its potential yet, so when they saw the monsters that they had to face should they decide to trek through the forest, they found out that their magic had had absolutely no effect on the monsters. Even Aiba couldn't speak to them. Therefore, they streaked back to the cottage with frightful expressions.

They never asked the question again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Air Element: Able to control air in the surroundings. Minority of the Air elemental magic users (or Air elementals for short) can predict the future in their dreams. Weakness is the Fire element.  
> Water Element: Able to control water, ice, hail, snow, mist, etc. All forms of water. The Water elementals are a peaceful race and most of their hobbies are fishing, sleeping and meditating. Weakness is the Earth element.  
> Fire Element: Able to control fire, magma, lava etc. The Fire elementals are mostly gentle, caring people, but once they get angry they are incredibly aggressive. Weakness is the Air element.  
> Earth Element: Able to control all of nature, including rocks. The Earth elementals have the ability to heal, which is why most of them become healers. Minority of the Earth elementals can talk to animals. Weakness is the Water element.  
> Spirit: Able to do things with their minds, like telepathy, telekinesis, etc. They are, however, unable to teleport. Spirits have been known to be able to boost the Elementals' magic. There are few Spirits that have the ability to control all four elements, which makes them more powerful than most. Most of these rare Spirits only show their full magic potential when pushed to the limits. After the first few times, in which they will not be able to control their magic, they will be able to learn how to control each of the elements. Also, minority of the Spirits have the ability to control metal.
> 
> Ohno Satoshi: Oldest, water elemental magic user. Always calm and peaceful. Avoid when angry.
> 
> Sakurai Sho: Second oldest, fire elemental magic user. Can be gentle but also can be incredibly aggressive when angry (like fire).
> 
> Aiba Masaki: Third oldest, earth elemental magic user. Usually very energetic.
> 
> Ninomiya Kazunari: Second youngest, air elemental magic user. Strategist. Very deadly when jealous.
> 
> Matsumoto Jun: Youngest, spirit magic user. Incredibly protective of his friends, especially when endangered. Will usually give his friends a boost of magic if he thinks they need it.
> 
> The kingdom that this story is based in: Arashi  
> Citizens are called: Arashians  
> Five cities: Air, Water, Fire, Earth, Spirit  
> Ruling families: The Ninomiya household (Air), Ohno household (Water), Sakurai household (Fire), Aiba household (Earth), Matsumoto household (Spirit)
> 
> The kingdom looks like this: http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/arashianelf/54342511/438/438_900.png
> 
> No man's land - Free for anyone and everyone to travel in, but nobody does because of the monsters that roam the forest covering the no man's land.
> 
> Hope this is enough to clarify!


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed. In that time, the five's control of their magic had increased exponentially. By now, the oldest, Satoshi, was 18, and the youngest, Jun, was 15. Finally, they had fully mastered their respective magic. The day that Johnny announced to them they had finally completed their training, was, coincidentally, the day that the five had been found in the forest.

When Johnny had learnt of their short adventure, he was, needless to say, not pleased and punished them by working them to their bones then forcing them to spend more time training. "Also," Johnny interrupted their cheering, "since it has only been a week since I came back from my spring trip out into the cities, I will not be accompanying you, however, I have decided to allow you guys to leave the forest to go back to your cities. You all have finally mastered your powers, and will be strong enough together to fight against any monsters you may meet in your travels-" Here the cheering returned tenfold.

"But, you will leave in two weeks, as you have many preparations to do. I have bought bedrolls for the five of you so you may sleep in some semblance of a bed when you are travelling. However, stay in an inn whenever you can, you never know when there are bandits around. In these two weeks, I want you to train more. Who knows, you may discover a new ability. More training will benefit you and make you stronger. Practice your defense especially. And that is all." Johnny briefed them.

As soon as he finished speaking, the room slowly become noisy again as Masaki, Kazunari and Jun chatted excitedly. Sho had already started planning on to what to bring, from the pondering on his face. Satoshi had just resumed staring into thin air, back in his own world.

"Kazunari," Johnny called. Kazunari stopped talking and looked at the man. Johnny gestured for him to come closer. "I will provide you with a map of the kingdom. Ask Masaki to check where is North in case you guys get lost. This cottage is closest to the city of Taura, however, I suspect that in that direction is where the monsters live, so that way is too dangerous. So, you will follow my own route out of the forest, where you emerge in the city of Ourania, where you will start your travels," Johnny informed him.

Kazunari nodded as he listened seriously. "Do not worry about remembering the route, I will mark it out before I hand it to you later. Do not lose it, am I clear?" Johnny said. Kazunari nodded in assent. Johnny let Kazunari go back to the other four as he stood up to clear the table. After clearing it, he headed into his room to mark out the route for Kazunari.

After working on the map for a while, Johnny sighed and leaned away from the map spread on the table. Was it too early to allow those children out of the forest? He still felt that they were too young to travel by themselves, but he trusted them and knew that they were ready. Already, they showed more maturity than any child he had ever met at their age. He also worried about when they had to prove that they were the lost children of the rulers of the cities.

Of course, they had the tattoos that all nobles were required to have once they were born. However, he was afraid that the other families eyeing the ruling position would overpower them. No, he told himself firmly, they were strong enough to fight off most of them. He had seen their potential. All he had to do was to trust that they would be okay.

Reassured, he started working on the map again. The map would be crucial as to whether they found their way around. Of course, Masaki could ask the earth to tell him which way to go, but it was better to have a physical map that they could look at. At the dining table, Sho got up to do the dishes, but realised that Satoshi had already done so.

Shrugging, he just heated up the dishes so that they would dry faster. Turning back around to face the table, he smiled at the sight of Masaki, Kazu, and Jun chattering away excitedly. He noticed Satoshi just watching them, and smiled fondly. They were his family, the ones he had spent years with, even before they had been taken. Of course, he could not wait to return to his family, not to mention his library, but these were his brothers, the ones he loved more than anyone else.

And if he loved someone more than the others, he made sure that no one knew about it. He would love silently, always watching, and supporting. As Sho became lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Satoshi looking at him knowingly. Sho realized that it was getting late, and quickly snapped out of his thoughts to usher the rest of them into baths so that they could get ready for bed.

Sho hoped that all five of them would remain safe throughout their entire journey, but knew that that wasn't really possible, but one could always hope. He wondered how different life would be when they returned to their families. Thinking, he unconsciously bathed and got into bed. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words  
> City of Water, Taura - Japanese, pronounced "ta-oo-ra", meaning 'many lakes; many rivers'  
> City of Fire, Celosia - Greek, pronounced "seh-lo-si-ya", meaning 'burning'  
> City of Air, Ourania - Greek, pronounced "oh-oo-rah-nee-ah", derived from the Greek word 'ouranios', meaning 'heavenly'  
> City of Earth, Xantara - English, pronounced "zan-tara", meaning 'protector of the earth'  
> City of Spirit, Nevaeh - English, pronounced "neh-vah-eh", it was coined by singer Sonny Sandoval by flipping around the word 'heaven'


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

Finally, the day had come for them to leave the safety of Johnny's cottage. In preparation for this day, Johnny had built a brand new caravan for them. The five boys, of course, had absolutely no idea. Twin gasps emerged from Aiba and Kazu as they stared at the caravan in awe. "J-johnny-san! You said that you built this all by yourself?" Jun asked, shocked. "Yes. Is there a problem?" Johnny asked. "N-no, it's nothing," Sho stammered.

It wasn't that it was built shabbily. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The caravan was built to perfection, as compared to Johnny's own rickety caravan that had holes everywhere. The wood was even rotting! "If you could build such a good quality caravan, Johnny-san, then why are you still using that old caravan?" Jun asked.

“That rickety old thing? Nah, that will last for a few years yet. I don't have to get a new one just yet. For you boys, however, you will need something to carry all your supplies! Since I'm not going anyway until next season, I decided to build a caravan for you boys!" Johnny explained. "Kazu, here's the map I promised you," Johnny handed the map that he'd marked out their route on to Kazu.

"And Jun, if you're so curious as to how I built this, just ask your parents when you finally meet them. Ask about 'Johnny Kitagawa', they'll know who I am," Johnny told Jun.  
  
It was decided that Jun would be the driver of the caravan, and it turned out that apart from the caravan, Johnny also had a gift for each of them. "I don't know if you remember, the day I found you boys in that cage, I went back later that day and found these in the corner," Johnny told them as he took out five necklaces.

Each necklace had a small gem dangling from a black plated chain. Jun's was amethyst, Kazu's was citrine, Masaki's was emerald, Sho's was ruby and Satoshi's was sapphire. "These gems are very special. Only those born to the ruling houses are given these gems. Gems are in fact very valuable, as they are actually capable of storing small amounts of magic. They have been known to save many people's lives. I have been filling up these gems with your respective magics over these five years, and it seems that your gems are in fact capable of storing any amount of magic, despite their size. You can store as much magic as you want, and the gem will never shatter. However, only use them when you are in grave, grave danger. No one is to know about these gems. Keep them tucked into your shirts at all times," Johnny explained.

"To store magic in it, just hold it in your hand and will your magic to enter the gem. This is my final gift for you boys before you set off. Have you all your supplies? Food, water, map, bedrolls?" Johnny asked. Kazu nodded. "Good, good. Well, it's time for you to go," Johnny said sadly.

Each of the boys took turns to hug him. "We'll miss you, Johnny-san!" Masaki yelled as Jun directed the caravan towards the path Johnny used to make his way out of the forest, the other boys clambering up into the back of the caravan. "Don't worry, boys," Johnny said to himself, "I'll see you soon."  
  
-  
  
While Jun was driving the caravan through the forest, Masaki was energetically bouncing where he was seated on the floor. "Masaki, please stop that. You're giving me a headache," Sho sighed as he massaged his temples.

"Ah, gomen, Sho-kun!" Aiba stopped bouncing, but he still fidgeted. Meanwhile, Kazu was cuddled up to Satoshi, with Kazu's head on Satoshi's lap and Satoshi's hand running through the strands while Kazu napped. Satoshi was just playing with a ball of water with one hand. If any stray drop of water dripped onto Kazu, Satoshi caught it before it could hit Kazu.

As he played, he hummed a tune to keep Kazu asleep. "Come here, Sho-kun! I'll heal your headache!" Aiba motioned for Sho to come over. Placing his hands over Sho's temples, Masaki concentrated on wanting the pain to recede and soon, Sho let out a relieved sigh. "Arigatou, Masaki. That helped a lot," Sho thanked the younger. Masaki giggled his unique giggle and exclaimed, "Always ready to help, Sho-chan!"

Satoshi's humming stopped for a bit as he drank some water and Kazu shifted, grumbling. Soon Satoshi started humming and Kazu settled down again, face nuzzling into Satoshi's stomach. As time slowly passed, Sho made Jun stop and let him take over driving the caravan, allowing Jun to take a greatly needed break.

Masaki had fallen asleep a while ago, along with Satoshi, who had fallen asleep sitting upright, with Kazu still sleeping in his lap. Jun silently stepped over Masaki with a brief thought of 'Who sleeps in the middle of the caravan, seriously,' and took a seat at the side, drinking water from a flask. It was not long before Jun succumbed to sleep too.  
  
"Nino..." Sho gently shook Kazu. "Hmprh?" Kazu opened his eyes blearily. "I need your help, Kazu. We've reached a fork in the road and I don't know which direction to go," Sho explained. Groaning, Kazu made himself sit up, trying not to disturb Satoshi. He took the map out from one of the bags and moved to the front of the caravan with Sho.

Referring to the map, he said, "We have to go right." Turning to Sho, he noticed that Sho was barely holding in a yawn, and was trying to keep himself from falling asleep. Sighing, he said, "Go and take a nap, Sho. I'll take over the driving." Giving a grateful smile to Kazu, Sho trudged to the back of the caravan, climbing in and settling next to the slumbering Jun.

Rubbing his eyes and drinking some water to wake himself up further, Kazu started up the caravan again and headed right. After a while, he had to consult his map when he came across roads that split up, but other than that there was not much delay. Noticing that the sun was slowly setting, Kazu asked the wind to direct him to an open space, and followed the wind's direction with the map, marking their route out with a pencil that he had found, so that they did not get lost. Finally, the caravan came to a halt. Kazu woke Satoshi up first, asking him to wake Jun and Sho.

Kazu woke Masaki up himself. He didn't think the other three needed to deal with Masaki's hyper activeness right now. Eventually, all five of them stumbled out of the caravan. "We're taking a break for today. We need the sleep," Kazu yawned. Sho nodded. He gave out their meal for the night and made sure that everyone finished their food. It was decided unanimously that they would just spread out the bedrolls inside the caravan and sleep together.

However, one person would have to stand guard just in case any monsters approached.

Going in order of age, Satoshi went first while the others piled into the caravan, bedrolls already spread out, courtesy of Jun. It was a coincidence that Satoshi was the one that had slept the most.  
  
Setting up a simple barrier of mist, Satoshi settled in to wait and protect his brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically the caravan I have in mind is like a horse caravan, just that instead of horses, it's engine-run. And the back is like, empty space for people to store stuff, but in this case they used it as storage space and sleeping area.
> 
> https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTIQD7TGwNCr6hktEa-SOhc32zNFraKomud4VAbCQzrcFvKWz-Uhg
> 
> Something like the link I provided above, just that it's engine-run and has a steering wheel and pedals.


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

Satoshi sat there, outside the caravan, maintaining the barrier of mist. He wandered off into his own world, occasionally coming back out to ensure that the barrier of mist was still there before going off again. Before he knew it, his shift was up and thus he got up, still maintaining his barrier of mist, and entered the caravan to wake Sho.

He found Sho asleep between Jun and Kazu, though he could tell that Sho was unconsciously snuggling towards Jun. He smiled softly at the sight. When would those two realize that the other liked him? As his gaze fell upon Kazu, his smile gentled. He could say the same for himself. However, he knew he had to wait.

If he confronted Kazu, Kazu would just shy away. No, he had to wait for Kazu to come to him himself. Until then, he was content to wait. Sighing, he knelt down and gently shook Sho awake. "Satoshi-kun?" Sho mumbled. "It's your shift, Sho-kun," Satoshi said softly to not awaken the others, knowing that Kazu was a light sleeper. "Oh," Sho muttered and slowly got up so as to not jostle Jun and Kazu. "I've set up a barrier of mist, once you've set up your barrier I'll release it," Satoshi told him.

"Ah, good idea," Sho said as he stretched. Flicking his wrist, Sho nodded. "Done. You can release your barrier now. Get some sleep," Sho told him as he headed outside. "Hai," Satoshi nodded and released his barrier. As Sho took his post outside, Satoshi laid down in the space that Sho had slept in, and Kazu, somehow recognizing him, immediately snuggled closer. Satoshi wrapped his arms around Kazu and fell asleep.

-

Masaki blinked as he entered the caravan. The two couples were snuggling together! Masaki squealed mentally. Sho had woken Masaki up for his shift, and had fallen asleep where Masaki previously slept, next to Jun. As much as Masaki wanted to leave them alone, he knew that he would definitely get into trouble if he let Kazu and Jun sleep just because he liked to watch the two couples together. Well, it was not his fault that they were so cute together, was it?

Kazu and Jun hated not putting in their fair share of work, and would definitely give him a lecture if he let them sleep. Therefore, he had to wake Kazu up. "Kazu, wake up! It's your turn to do guard duty!" Masaki said as softly as he could to the slumbering Kazu. Kazu grumbled slightly, shifting in Satoshi's arms. "Kazu!" Aiba whisper-yelled. "I'm up, I'm up!" Kazu replied as he yawned, extricating himself from Satoshi. The oldest snuffled slightly, but otherwise did not wake up.

"Put up a barrier. I created a dome of earth as a barrier, but as soon as you set up your barrier I'm releasing the earth. Groaning, Kazu did as he was told and put up a barrier. Masaki sighed as the earth returned back to the ground. "Arigatou, Kazu," Masaki yawned as he lay down next to Satoshi.

Stretching as he walked, Kazu made his way outside. For his barrier, he had just created a thick layer of pure carbon monoxide so that any animal that passed through would die from lack of oxygen. "Guard duty is so boring!" Kazu whined out loud as he fidgeted. Kazu liked it when he had something to occupy himself, that way he did not have to think about things which always ended up revolving around a certain person.

He knew it wasn't fair to that person, but it was just the type of person he was. He did not like anything to do with his feelings, especially something as unfamiliar as this. Frankly, he wanted to confess, he really did, but the risk of destroying the relationship they already had... Kazu shuddered. No, that wouldn't do at all. Not at all. Kazu cut himself off then. And that was why he hated not having anything to do. He groaned.

-

Jun felt something, or rather, someone, shaking him. "Oi, Jun, it's your turn for guard duty. Take over!" Kazu's voice.

Jun groaned softly and snuggled closer to the warmth in front of him. Wait. What? Jun opened his eyes and came face to face with a sleeping Sho. His eyes widened and he shot up. "Now's not the time to think about your feelings, idiot," Kazu snapped, albeit softly in order to not wake anyone else up. "Put up a barrier," Kazu ordered.

"I don't have to take orders from you," Jun retorted, but still put up a barrier, so that he would know when anything entered and he could use his telekinesis to move it away from them.

"Done. Go and sleep, you," Jun said grumpily, Kazu immediately putting down his barrier and laying down in the spot Jun had vacated, in between Sho and Satoshi. Even as Jun exited the caravan, Kazu had already fallen asleep. Jun sighed. Seriously. Of all people, he had to wake up next to Sho. Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that one of the other three had orchestrated this, but... Jun flushed. He couldn't help but like the fact that he'd woken up next to Sho.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a twinge along the barrier. Concentrating, he chased the monster away. No wonder Kazu had been so tired. There were so many monsters just waiting to get to them! No, he could not think about his feelings for Sho. Not now, when he had to protect them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say that the shift that Satoshi took was the time when the monsters weren't too active, shall we? And we look into each of their thoughts in this chapter! Masaki's story shall come in later chapters!
> 
> If you were confused about their sleeping arrangements:  
> At first it was: Kazu Sho Jun Masaki, then Kazu Satoshi Jun Masaki, then Kazu Satoshi Jun Sho, then Masaki Satoshi Jun Sho, then finally, Masaki Satoshi Kazu Sho. Since they're still in their pre-teens (Chibi!Arashi!) they're small enough to fit into the caravan. Okay? Okay.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

Finally, Jun saw the sun rise and felt the monsters retreat. He sighed in relief as he scanned the area a few more times before finally releasing his barrier. Finally, guard duty was over. Yawning and stretching, Jun trudged over to the caravan before climbing inside and settling noiselessly next to Sho. Since the sun was up, the monsters would not come out anymore. Johnny-san had told them that.

He was so tired... Who knew guard duty could be so tiring? The number of monsters was greater than he'd expected. They would have to swap around the shifts, as Jun knew he could not do the last shift every night and not collapse. Sighing, Jun succumbed to sleep.

-

Jun woke up to a hand threading rhythmically through his hair. Then he felt that his surroundings were... shaking? Grumbling, he turned into the warmth that surrounded his head and shoulders. The threading stopped for a while until he settled down, before Jun heard someone say, "He's driving too fast, Jun's waking up." Jun frowned, half asleep, trying to figure out who was speaking.

"Nn. Tell Kazu?" Jun heard someone he identified as Satoshi say. "It should be fine. Jun needs his rest," the other person said. "Sho-chan?" Jun heard Masaki's distinct voice ask. "Mm?" the person now identified as Sho replied. Hold on. If Sho was the one speaking... then wasn't he the one that was threading his fingers through his hair right now? And Jun could at least tell his head was lying on someone's lap, most likely Sho. Ugh. Jun couldn't think right now, he was still so tired.

In minutes he was lulled back to sleep by Sho's rhythmic threading.

"I think he fell back asleep," Satoshi mentioned. Sho nodded, looking down at Jun lying on his lap. "Yeah. He must have spent a lot of energy fighting off those monsters. I heard from Kazu that the later shifts were much more tiring.

Jun must have taken the most of it, seeing as how Kazu still has energy to drive the caravan. A few hours after Jun had fallen asleep next to Sho, Sho himself had woken up facing Jun, before realizing that the sun had already risen and thus woke the others up to continue on their journey.

He told them not to disturb Jun, though. Jun had looked exhausted. it was just like he'd said just now, Jun needed the rest. He knew that the youngest would push himself to his limits, if not further, even when he did not get enough rest. It was just how Jun worked. He didn't care about himself until the job was done and he could finally relax and take a much needed break. Sho sighed. Jun always put so much pressure on himself.

All he could do, or any of them could do, was to ensure that Jun got enough sleep when he needed to, whether he liked it or not. Jun could grumble and bitch about it for all he cared, all he wanted was for Jun to get sufficient rest so that he could give his all again when he woke up.

-

The next time Jun woke up, he opened his eyes to see Satoshi and Kazunari snuggling together on one side of the caravan. Masaki was fiddling around with something, probably something he'd picked up. Huh. Sho was probably driving then.

"Oh, Jun-tan, you're up!" Masaki scrambled to get him a flask of water, before handing him some bread. "Eat these, Jun-pon! Then you can swap with Sho-chan later when Sho-chan stops!" Masaki told him. "Idiot," Jun grumbled at Masaki's cheerfulness, but Masaki only grinned. "Eat up, Jun-pon!" Masaki sang as he went back to playing with whatever he'd found.

Jun ate the bread slowly, before taking a few mouthfuls of water from the flask to wash everything down. Now that he did not have to protect them, his thoughts inadvertently turned to Sho. Jun wondered when he'd started feeling this way about the older boy. It could be that time when Sho helped him with his chores. Or that time when Jun got hurt and Sho panicked and mothered him within an inch of his life.

Or maybe it was everything, everything that made up Sho. All Jun knew was that one day he'd started feeling this way and had felt this way ever since. Glancing at Kazu and Satoshi, who were now giggling at something, he sighed. Sometimes, Jun thought, he got jealous of the way Kazu and Satoshi could interact with each other, unlike him and Sho. 'Should I confess to Sho?' Jun thought to himself before rejecting the idea.

'Sho wouldn't like me that way.' He told himself as he kept the flask of water. 'Would he?' was Jun's final thought before he had to take over driving the caravan.


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

Finally, after long days of travelling through the forest, they'd made it out of the forest. "We made it!" Masaki said excitedly. "Yeah, but where exactly are we? The map says that we should be facing the City of Air, Ourania, but it's nowhere in sight," Sho mentioned. Kazu sighed.

"It's the City of Air, which means that it would be in the air, idiots. Look up," Kazu said. All of them looked up and saw rope pulleys and wooden bridges everywhere. "Woah!" Masaki exclaimed. "How will we get up there?" Jun wondered. Kazu nodded at something in front of them. "Look, it's a lift. I'm guessing we have to take that up," Kazu said. Sure enough, there was a wooden lift right in front of them.

They watched as a group of people got onto the lift and the lift started moving by itself. "Cool!" Masaki exclaimed. "I'm guessing the lifts are for the other magic users as Air elementals can fly, which is why their city is in the sky. If anyone tries to invade their land they could just cut the ropes connecting the lifts and they would be unable to get into the city.

Of course, Earth elementals could just create an Earth tower to bring them up to the same height, but that would be very energy-consuming," Jun commented. "Let's just go," Kazu said. They walked towards one of the many lifts and got in, with Sho navigating the caravan in. However, Kazu just stood there and watched them. "Kazu, you aren't getting in?" Sho asked.

"I wanna try flying, like them," Kazu gestured to a group of people soaring up towards the city, being pushed by the air. "Okay then," Jun said and tugged on the rope that was there. The lift gave a jerk before steadily rising. Kazu willed his magic to help him reach the city. Feeling the familiar tug that was his magic at work, Kazu followed the lift as it rose.

Landing softly on the platform, Kazu waited as the other four exited the lift with Sho still navigating the caravan. "Jaa, ikou," Kazu said, leading the way to the city. Following the people streaming into the city gates, most of which also had caravans, Jun identified them as traders from all over the kingdom that had come to Ourania to do trade. Jun also noticed them wearing their elemental colours, with Fire elementals wearing red, Water elementals wearing blue, Earth elementals wearing green, Air elementals wearing yellow and Spirits wearing purple.

Jun glanced at the others and notice that they themselves were also wearing their respective colours. Jun had never thought about why they had to wear specific colours, but out here in the cities he realised that it was probably a way for people to see which type of magic user they were.

They were greeted by rows and rows of shops that were full of people trading with one another. Masaki's head could not stop moving, trying to get a look at all the shops. Jun kept a firm grip on his arm to prevent him from running off and getting lost in the crowd. As they walked further into the city, Jun decided that since the city was so noisy, it would be better if he just linked their minds together so that they could speak to each other privately in their minds.

Slowly extending his power, he brushed against the other four's minds. "Guys, can you hear me?" Masaki gave a startled look to Jun. "Don't look so startled, Masaki. I just linked our minds together so we don't have to shout to be heard over the noise," Jun explained. "Ah, makes sense. Good thinking, Matsujun," Sho thought, still navigating the caravan. 

"We need to find an inn so that we have some place to sleep tonight. Keep your eyes open," Kazunari thought. "There's one over there," Satoshi pointed out, directing their eyes to an inn tucked away in a corner. You would not know it was an inn unless you were looking out for one. "Ah, let's try that one then," Sho commented as he started to navigate his way to the inn.

A small bell tinkled as the five made their way in, after Sho had parked their caravan and locked it to ensure that no one could steal it, not before unloading their supplies and bags, of course. "Welcome~" A female voice rang out. "How may I help you?" A woman looking to be around 20 years old asked them kindly. "Are there enough rooms for the five of us? Just two rooms will do," Sho asked, after a few seconds of thought-prodding by the others.

"Yes, we do! How many nights will you be staying?" the lady asked. "Just tonight," Sho replied. "Hai, please hold on..." she checked a thick book. "We have two rooms available, next to each other, will that be okay?" she asked. "Hai. We'll take that. Arigatou gozaimasu!" Sho handed over the money to her as the others picked up the bags. After the lady had put away the money, she led them up to their rooms.

"Here you go! Breakfast will be served in the morning!" she informed them as she unlocked the doors. "Here are your keys." She passed them their room keys. "Just deposit them into the box at the counter in the morning before you leave! Have a good time here in Ourania!" She left the room.

Jun immediately got to work, checking the rooms. "This one has two beds, the other has three," Jun said, upon re-entering the room that they were led to. "Jaa, Matsujun, Masaki and I will take the other room, Kazu, you and Satoshi will share this room, okay?" Sho decided.

At the agreeing nods, Sho picked up a few bags and carried them over to the other room. "We'll meet up in the hallway in half an hour to explore the city, okay?" Sho called to them. "Hai~," Satoshi replied.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

Once all five of them had gathered, they headed out to get more supplies. Masaki, being Masaki, wandered off somewhere once Jun let go of him, but since Jun had the mind-link he didn't mind much. Kazunari saw some music scores for the guitar that he'd brought with him from Johnny's but had never gotten the chance to play and went off to see them, dragging Satoshi along. Shrugging, Sho turned to Jun.

"Guess we're going to have to get the supplies by ourselves. Ikou," Sho said, taking out a list of supplies that they had to get. Raising an eyebrow at Sho, Jun nodded. "We need to get more dried meat and bread first, then next is water," Sho informed him as they set off, peering into stores through the crowd, trying to see which store sold what they needed. "This stall is selling dried meat. How much can we spend?" Jun inquired.

"Johnny-san gave us 20,000 Arashian coins to spend over the five cities, and I gave Masaki and Kazu 50 Arashian coins each," Sho told him. "That gives us 4000 Arashian coins per city. That's really a lot! The things here are ranging from about 10 to 20 coins," Jun said, surprised.

"Yeah. So I think we can buy 10 bags of dried meat, since 1 bag costs 15 coins," Sho calculated. Jun nodded and made his way into the stall. After buying the meat, they moved on to find a stall that sold bread. "Ah, there's one over there," Sho pointed out a stall.

As they made their way closer, the smell of fresh bread wafted closer to them. "We're definitely buying from there," Jun navigated his way through the crowd towards the stall. After buying bread, they quickly found a water peddler where they gave him 20 coins to fill up all their flasks.

They made their way fairly quickly through the list and were soon done buying supplies. Slowly, they made their way back to the inn, where they sorted out their supplies.

After that was done, Sho and Jun headed back out to find the other three so that they could head towards the castle. "Masaki, Kazu, Satoshi, where are you guys?" Sho sent through the mind-link. "Near the castle gates. Hurry up, we're waiting for you," Kazu replied.

Quickly making their way to the castle gates, the two caught sight of Masaki waving excitedly. Approaching the castle gates as a group, Kazu caught sight of a bulletin board and made his way there to look at it. The castle gates were closed, so all they could do was peer through the gaps. "Guys? This notice says that the royals left for their annual trip around the cities..." Kazu's quiet voice said. Gathering around the bulletin board, they read the notice.

"Kazu..." Sho breathed, looking at Kazunari. "What?" Kazu snapped, "I'm perfectly fine. Let's just go." Jun caught the arm of one of the people crowded around and asked him, "Excuse me, when did the royals leave the city?" "Just yesterday, kid," the man replied, before shrugging his way through the crowd. "They left yesterday. If we leave now we might be able to catch up to them," Jun told them through the mind-link. "Jun. It's okay," Kazunari said. "It's not!" Masaki exclaimed, "we were so close to meeting them!"

"Let's just spend the night here, we might as well stay since we've already paid for the inn," Kazunari sighed. "Johnny-san gave us enough money so you don't have to worry about money, Kazu," Sho told him. "But-" Kazunari was interrupted by Satoshi. "Let us do this for you, Kazu." Looking at the oldest's earnest face, Kazunari sighed. "Fine."

As Jun, Satoshi and Masaki packed up their supplies, Sho was accompanied by Kazunari as he explained to the lady that they had to leave earlier than expected. However, Sho refused the refund that the lady offered, saying that it was good enough that they could keep their things here for the short time that they'd been here. Kazunari just sulked beside him.

Thereafter, they helped to load all the supplies onto the caravan. After everyone had climbed on, Sho navigated his way out of the city before following the map to their next destination - the City of Water, Taura."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the five of them are speaking to each other, please note that they are speaking through Jun's mind-link unless it's stated otherwise.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics is when they are speaking in the mind-link, normal font means that they're speaking out loud ^^

Getting to Taura was harder than they thought. After they consulted the map after leaving the hectic City of Air, Ourania, the five found out that they had to go through a few villages and unmarked land before they could reach the land of Water. "What's the unmarked land?" Jun asked. "It's probably just empty land, where no one has use for it. Which means that there are probably monsters," Kazunari explained.

"Monsters like?" Masaki asked. "Like, harpies, griffins, pegasi, wyverns, fairies, sylphs," Sho elaborated. "Well, we'll know it when we see it," Satoshi said. "Let's go!" Masaki exclaimed. With that, Sho waited for the others to climb back into the caravan before they set off again. Inside the caravan, Masaki played around with a ball of earth, molding it into different shapes. Jun and Satoshi napped as Kazunari strummed softly on his guitar.

They passed under the first few villages (that were in the air) without any trouble, but just as they reached the last village, the one nearest the unmarked land, they realized that there was a commotion going on in the village above their heads. It was easy to figure out why once they looked in front. A whole swarm of harpies were approaching the village.

"G-guys... I think you need to see this," Sho stammered. The others climbed out and stared at the swarm. "C'mon, let's go help the villagers!" Jun's shout pushed them into action as Sho quickly navigated the caravan onto one of the lifts. Kazunari went ahead, soaring up first while the others made their way up. Jun started up the mind-link again. _"Kazu, how is it?"_ Sho asked.

 _"I'm helping the villagers to get into their homes, Sho, use your fire and burn them! They won't be able to fly without their wings! Satoshi, water to prevent them from flying! Masaki, balls of earth, time to test your accuracy! Jun, crush them."_ Ever the strategist, Kazunari told them what to do as he helped the last villager into her house. _"I'll meet you guys outside,"_ Kazunari told them as he ran back out to meet them. From what Kazunari had heard from the villagers, changing the air currents would throw them off course, enough for the others to strike them, so that's what he started doing.

Kazunari navigated the air currents so that the harpies were not flying directly towards the village, and the other four brought them down. _"This is like target practice! So fun!"_ Masaki said excitedly, in the process of aiming and directing the balls of earth. Sho and Jun had already started their own mini-competition, with Sho sending out streams of fire and Jun crushing them with his mind. 

_"Aw man, you guys didn't wait for me!"_ Kazunari joined in the competition, simultaneously navigating the air currents and shooting air blades. _"Too bad you're slow,"_ Jun retorted. As the five made quick work fighting against the harpies, the villagers slowly wandered out, wondering why the harpies had not reached their village. Upon seeing the five boys fighting off the harpies, more and more people crowded behind them, watching them take the harpies down. 

_"One more swarm coming!"_ Jun shouted, noticing another swarm of harpies approaching. _"Sho! Fireball!"_ At Kazunari's order Sho immediately formed and threw a large fireball at the incoming swarm. A large amount dropped down as the fireball made contact. Finally, the first swarm was taken down, and they could focus on the incoming swarm.

The number of harpies had been greatly reduced in the second swarm due to Sho's fireball, and the remaining were quickly taken down. "Safe," Jun sighed as Masaki hit the last harpy and laughed. "That was so much fun! But tiring too," Masaki exclaimed, Jun disconnecting the mind-link. "Good job, guys," Sho said as they hi-fived each other. It was then that they noticed the villagers crowding behind them.

"May I know your names, saviours?" the chief of the village asked them over that night's feast that was held to thank the five boys. _"Don't mention our family names!"_ Jun shouted at Sho, just as Sho opened his mouth to speak. "I am Sho, and they are Jun, Masaki, Kazunari and Satoshi," Sho introduced, the other boys bowing when their name was called.

"Ah, I see. Then may I ask why you are travelling at such a young age?" the chief asked. "We wanted to see more of the kingdom. We're orphans, you see, and we weren't allowed to go out much. We grew up together too, so we decided to travel together and so, here we are," Kazunari explained. By saying that, Kazunari had indirectly answered a question as to why five boys from different elements of magic were travelling together.

Since Fire elementals usually only mixed with Spirit and Air elementals, and Water with Earth and Spirit, it was quite unusual to see all five travelling together. By saying that they were orphans and had grown up together, it would explain the close bond between them.

With a sigh, Jun started up the mind-link again. He had a feeling that they would need it. Masaki, Sho and Satoshi were too busy eating by now to speak, anyway.

"Umai!" Sho exclaimed, his cheeks full. "And Chipmunk Sho has made its appearance," Kazunari sighed. Sho just whacked Kazunari on the head and continued eating. "About the harpies," Jun asked. The chief sighed and said, "The harpies come every year, for two days. Two swarms a day. We've never been able to fight them off, so we just leave them to take what they want and stay in. People get hurt when we try to stop them, so we don't."

"So today was the first or second day?" Masaki asked. "Today was the first day," the chief replied. "Jaa, let's stay here until tomorrow to help the villagers fight off the harpies, ne?" Kazunari said. _"But, Kazu! Your family-"_ Sho exclaimed. _"One day, two days, what is the difference? Let's just help the villagers,"_ Kazunari sighed in response. _"Kazu..."_ Jun started, but stopped at Kazunari's look.

"Fine," Sho replied. "Everyone has no problem with it? Good, we're staying until tomorrow!" Kazunari said. Upon hearing that, the chief immediately started thanking them profusely. _"Now we rushed out of the city for nothing,"_ Jun sighed. _"Who says it's for nothing? We can help these villagers!"_ Kazunari retorted mentally. _"We'll just try and cover more distance tomorrow, ne, Matsujun?"_ Masaki said optimistically into the mind-link. _"Helping the villagers is good,"_ Satoshi stated. _"I get it, I get it!"_ Jun grumbled.

Right after the feast, Jun closed the mind-link as everyone showered and washed up, getting ready for bed. They'd decided to share a room together, with their caravan parked outside the inn. It was slightly squeezy, maybe, but it was cozy and they liked it that way, no matter how much Kazunari and Jun grumbled. They slept deeply that night, which could be due to the fact that it had been too long since they could sleep in proper futons.

They'd fallen asleep with Masaki closest to the door, then next to him was Kazunari, then Satoshi, then Sho and lastly Jun. Somehow, in the night, they'd ended up tangled together as one big group, with the five futons squashed together. When they woke up, grumbling occurred, yes, but they all knew that deep down in their hearts they liked sleeping like this, tangled together as if they were one and not five.

They'd spent so long growing up together, after all. They loved each other to the ends of the Earth. And they were more refreshed than usual in the morning, ready to face the day, the next swarm of harpies and the upcoming travelling.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics is when they are speaking in the mind-link, normal font means that they're speaking out loud ^^

They had woken up quite early, being used to waking up early to travel more in a day. After they had had their breakfast, they were just chatting quietly among themselves - Jun hadn't seen the need to start up the mind-link yet - when a bell sounded throughout the village, the signal that the first swarm of harpies were approaching. The five of them rushed out to where they were standing yesterday and faced the incoming swarm.

Kazunari had enlisted the help of the stronger Air elementals in the village to help to navigate the air currents so that it was easier for him to concentrate on sending out air blades to bring down the harpies. Of course, Sho threw a fireball at them first, which took down half of the swarm.

They quickly took care of the rest, anticipating the next swarm to come. The bell rang again as another swarm gradually appeared. However, this one looked slightly different. A villager ran up to them. "The harpies are accompanied by wyverns!" he exclaimed.

 _"Wyverns?"_ Jun asked. _"They're something like the dragons in the Fire land. Just that instead of breathing fire they have really sharp claws. Watch out, guys,"_ Kazunari explained. As the swarm drew closer, everyone took in the sight that was a swarm of harpies and wyverns. Sho sent out another fireball, but the wyverns dodged it easily. However, most of the harpies were taken down.

They made quick work of the rest of the harpies, and concentrated on bringing down the wyverns. _"Jun! Try crushing their wings!"_ Satoshi yelled. Jun reached out with his mind and imagined one of the wyverns' wings snapping into half. A screech echoed from the wyvern's mouth as it plunged down to the ground.

 _"Guys! Delay them enough so that Jun can crush them one by one! Masaki! Make sure Jun doesn't overexert himself and heal him when needed!"_ Sho ordered. Masaki nodded and diverted his attention to Jun, making sure he didn't use too much of his power. Finally, the last of the wyverns were taken down and all five of them sagged in relief.

 _"We probably could have taken them down much easier had we used our full powers,"_ Masaki couldn't help but mention as they trudged back to the inn. _"Johnny-san told us not to use our full power, only 40 percent, Masaki. We are much too strong to be citizens. We cannot reveal who we are until it's time, or we will be in danger. We would be easily recognized as royals or at least nobles if we were to use our full powers,"_ Sho sighed. _"I know that, Sho-chan! I'm just saying that if we used our full power we wouldn't be this tired trying to control ourselves to not use our full powers!"_ Masaki exclaimed. _"Enough of this. We have to keep moving. We've spent too much time here,"_ Satoshi said. Jun nodded and cut off the mind-link.

Masaki healed him slightly, as he would need it for the travelling ahead and guard duty that night. They packed up their supplies and loaded up their caravan, leaving the village among cheers and happy waves. Descending back down to solid ground, Sho sighed, "Masaki, look at this!" He gestured at the empty expanse of land in front of them. "Oops," Masaki rubbed his nape sheepishly.

Holes of different sizes were visible in the ground, too circular to be natural. "Seriously, you have to remember to put the earth back to normal!" Sho nagged as Masaki set about covering up the holes. "I was too busy aiming for the next harpy! I didn't have time to put it back to normal!" Masaki whined. Finally, the last hole was covered and they set off, heading for Taura.

-

"Akiyama-sama." A man entered a lavish room.

"What is it?" A voice snapped.

"Kawaguchi-sama has written a letter to you," the man said.

"Well? Read it to me!" The voice ordered.

"Akiyama.

I have received news that the five heirs have been found. I ordered Koyanagi to try and kill them, but all that fool did was to send out some pathetic wyverns. He should know by now that the royal families became royal families for a reason, that idiot. It's your turn to try and eradicate them now. Do not fail me, Akiyama, or we will not be able to achieve our goal. It's time to finish what we started.

Signed,  
Kawaguchi Akio."

There was a pause before the voice said, "Set it on the table."

Bowing, the man did as he was told and left the room.

"So it's time, huh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New characters are coming, and they're all made up by yours truly :) ANYWAY, I don't know when the next update will be, but I hope you continue to follow this story! As for the new characters, their surnames were picked quite randomly, but their names were chosen for a reason :)
> 
> Akio - 昭雄 - 'glorious hero'


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics is when they are speaking in the mind-link, normal font means that they're speaking out loud ^^

"Papa, papa! Look at what I got!" 7-years-old Kazunari ran into the study room where Ninomiya Katsuo was looking through documents. "Not now, Kazunari," Katsuo frowned, eyes still on the documents. "But papa..." Kazunari whined. "Do not whine at me, Kazunari! When I say not now, I mean not now! Go find your mother or something!" Katsuo snapped.

Kazunari shrinked and ran out the door. "Mama, mama! Look at what I got!" Kazunari ran into the sewing room where his mother, Kazuko, was embroidering. "Oh, that's a nice cupcake, Kazunari! What is it for?" Kazuko smiled. Kazunari looked at her disbelievingly and sadly walked out of the room. "Are? What was the cupcake for?" Kazuko wondered before shrugging and continuing her embroidery.

"Kazunari-bocchan!" his nanny caught up to him as he walked slowly. "Ayame-baachan... Look, I got this from the cook!" Kazunari showed her the cupcake that he held in his hands. "Ah, for your birthday? You turn seven today, that's why the cook gave you a cupcake! Now, let's go to the hall! Sakurai-bocchan and the others are waiting for you!" Ayame smiled gently at the little boy she had come to treat like her own son. "Sho-chan and the others are here?" Kazunari's smile lit up his face.

Taking off, he streaked through the hallways, smiling happily. Ayame smiled at the sight. Then she sighed. Sometimes she really wondered what the child was born for. To have parents that did not even remember his birthday... She shook her head and rushed off after Kazunari. A year after that, three months before his eighth birthday, Ninomiya Kazunari was kidnapped, along with the heirs of the other four royal families.

-

Sho frowned as he turned the map this way and that, trying to figure out where they were.

"Sho-chan, that won't work. We're in the middle of a field, how would you know which direction to go in?" Kazunari sighed exasperatedly before he asked the wind to show him the direction towards Taura. "We have to go that way, Sho-yan," Kazunari pointed. "Oh! I see!" Sho laughed before he directed the caravan in that direction.

"The other three are still asleep, aren't they?" Sho asked. "Last I checked, yeah," Kazunari replied. The two of them were squeezed together in the seat where the driver sat. Sho kept silent for a few minutes before he spoke. "Kazu." "Hmm?" Kazunari hummed, looking around. "The reason why you didn't want to go after your parents..." Sho started before he stopped at Kazunari's blank expression.

"You know why, Sho-chan. Do I really have to say it out loud? You were there when it happened," Kazunari said emotionlessly. "You know they didn't mean it, right?" Sho asked. "Ah, but he did, Sho-yan. Your parents wouldn't mean it, but mine would. He never liked me anyway, and she loved me, but not enough to even remember my birthday." Kazunari said bitterly.

"Kazu..." Sho sighed. "It's fine, Sho-chan. Let's just hurry before we miss Satoshi's parents too," Kazunari cut him off. "...Fine. Which direction are we heading in again?" Sho asked. "That way," Kazunari pointed in a direction. Not long after, Jun poked his head out. "Let's rest for a while, shall we? This field seems endless," he yawned. Sho and Kazunari looked at each other before shrugging. "Why not," Sho said, stopping the caravan.

"Hey, Jun," Kazunari started as an idea struck him. "Scan the area and see if there is anyone within a 10 kilometre radius." Jun shrugged and did what he was told. "No one," he reported. "It's a huge field, Sho-chan. Don't you think we should just... let go for a while?" Kazunari suggested, a twinkle in his eye. Sho thought about it for a while before shrugging. "It wouldn't hurt. It's been a while since we could just let go. Let's wake Satoshi and Masaki up," he agreed.

Satoshi and Masaki were woken up by Jun and told about the suggestion. Masaki jumped up excitedly. "Let's do it!" he exclaimed. Satoshi climbed out. "Finally." was all he said. "Jun, can you constantly scan the area?" Sho asked. Jun nodded. "Well then, spread out guys, we don't need to hurt anybody," Sho said.

After spreading out, they all finally let go and started using their powers at full strength. Keeping their powers restricted for so long had allowed a massive amount of power to build up that they needed to use up before they lost control of their own powers. Sighing in relief, Kazunari jumped up and let the wind carry him up high before he launched several air blades at the sky. Sho created a giant fireball before releasing it in a huge whoosh across the field before the grass was brought back to life by Masaki.

Jun asked Masaki to create giant balls of earth before he raised them up high and slammed them down back into the earth with significant force. Satoshi stood a distance away, controlling a ball of water twice his size, letting it flow freely around him. Then he aimed it at Masaki and let go. A constant stream of water hit Masaki and the latter laughed. "Riida, don't do that!" Masaki let the familiar nickname slip out. As Kazunari released more air blades, Sho shot small balls of fire up to counter them.

Kazunari looked down at Sho from where he was floated with a mischievous glint in his eyes before he launched air blades at Sho himself. Sho laughed as he countered the attack easily. As Sho built up a ball of fire and launched it at Kazunari, Jun stopped it in mid-air and turned it on Sho, who let the fire hit him. He was a Fire elemental, and his own fire would not hurt him. "Jun, you rat!" Sho laughed before aiming several small balls of fire at Jun in succession.

Jun in turn reflected them towards Kazunari before he was drenched in a jet of water. "Satoshi!" Jun exclaimed, smiling, as he watched Masaki aim a ball of earth at Kazunari, who sliced it into two with his air blades. Jun then stopped the next jet of water and aimed it at Kazunari. Jun laughed as Kazunari was drenched and shook his head like a wet dog. "JUN!" Kazunari yelled before the youngest was buffeted by strong gusts of wind. Satoshi smiled as he gathered more water around him, aiming it at Sho this time.

Luckily, Sho saw it coming and sent out a stream of fire. Laughing, they watched as the streams of water and fire impacted with a loud hiss. After a long while, Jun stopped them and said, "There's a caravan about 11 kilometres out. Time to restore this place to normal, Masaki." Kazunari landed gently as Masaki got to work restoring the field back to normal and Sho helped to dry their clothes. "Ah, that felt good," Sho sighed as he waited for Jun, Satoshi and Masaki clamber back into the caravan.

"It's like the power isn't threatening to overflow anymore," Kazunari agreed, "We have to do this often or our bodies won't be able to take the build-up of power." "Yeah," Sho replied as they set off again, following Kazunari's lead. Sighing, Kazunari settled back down. "Lucky all the others are heavy sleepers," he thought. No one could know about his nightmares. He refused to let them know.

-

8-year-old Kazunari screamed as he watched his sister, his beloved sister, lose control of her powers. The square in the city was almost unrecognizable, Kazunari and Sho protected by Kazunari's mother. Kazue had been punished by their father for something he could not remember, and she was prevented from using her powers for two weeks. Kazunari sobbed. "I don't want to gain my powers!" he wailed. "Kazu-chan..." Sho looked at him sadly. One year older than him, Sho could not wait for next year to come, as 10 years of age was when their powers first became active.

As Kazunari wailed, Katsuo glared down at his heir as he got more and more irritated with the wailing. "If you don't want your powers, you are not my son!" Katsuo snarled. "Katsuo-san!" Kazuko looked horrified. Up in front, Kazue collapsed. "Nee-chan! Kazue-neechan!" Kazunari cried out. Deep inside, Kazunari had heard what his father had said, and from Sho's horrified look, so had he. "I don't care," Kazunari thought as he got free of his mother's grasp and ran toward his sister.

Kazunari knew that that man had meant it. He valued the family's power more than anything else. "He is not my father. He only cares about a heir, not his son. He helped create me, but he is not my father," Kazunari thought, "When I grow up and take over the city, I am not going to be like him. I refuse to."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five boys were found by a man, huddled together in a cage barely large enough to fit them, having been abandoned in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics is when they are speaking in the mind-link, normal font means that they're speaking out loud ^^

They stared at the great expanse of water in front of them. "The map says right here that Taura is in front of us, but all I see is this," Kazunari gestured at the sea. Satoshi smiled beatifically as Sho and Kazunari tried to figure out where Taura exactly was, with Jun watching on and Aiba cheering them on.

"It's there, Kazu, but you can't see it," Satoshi finally spoke.

"And why can't we see it?" Jun asked. "Simple, really. It's underwater," Satoshi replied. There was a stunned silence before Kazunari said incredulously, "And you expect us to _breathe underwater_?"

"And you have to worry about the water pressure! The carnivorous aquatic animals!" Sho spoke up. "You don't exactly have to swim, Sho-chan, Kazu-chan. There's a reason why you guys haven't been to Taura before," Satoshi stated.

"How exactly do we get there, Satoshi-kun?" Jun asked. "There's an island that only Water elementals can sense. And on the island an entrance to the city. It's also why no traders ever come to Taura," Satoshi explained.

"That means we have to take a boat, right?" Jun asked, to the growing horror of one Air elemental. "Un," Satoshi nodded. Masaki caught sight of Kazunari's horrified expression and burst out laughing.

"What's wrong, Masaki?" Sho asked. Masaki couldn't speak, as he was laughing too hard, so he just pointed at Kazunari's frozen horrified face. Sho took one look and burst into laughter too.

Jun just chuckled slightly as Satoshi came up to Kazunari's side.

"Kazu," Satoshi shook the Air elemental slightly. Kazunari snapped out of his stupor and stared fearfully at Satoshi.

"It'll be fine, Kazu," Satoshi assured Kazunari. "How long will the trip to the island take, Satoshi?" Sho asked. "Around 2 days," Satoshi replied.

"Then how about this? Kazu can glide in the air for long periods of time, then rest on the boat. Masaki will heal him constantly so he doesn't feel sick. Do you think that will work?" Sho suggested.

Kazunari pondered over this. "It might work," he mused. "Well then, let's do that!" Masaki exclaimed.

Thereafter, Satoshi found someone willing to bring them to the island in exchange for ensuring that he had plenty of fish to bring back, to which they agreed.

-

After two long days on the boat, they finally reached the island. They waved goodbye to the kind fisherman as he left the dock. Kazunari was so happy to be on solid land that he nearly cried.

"Where's the entrance, Satoshi?" Jun asked. "This way," Satoshi replied after a while, leading the way. They then came up to this large boulder that looked to be very deep in the sand, when Masaki was asked.

Satoshi knelt down near the boulder and touched the surface, as if looking for something. "Ah! There it is," he said lightly as he pressed something on the surface of the boulder.

Immediately, an opening appeared on the opposite face of the boulder, with steps leading down. "Satoshi, that looks like it's going in the direction of the sea," Sho mentioned.

"Un. Taura is underwater. It's actually an underwater dome city. Saa, let's go," Satoshi led the way down.

After climbing down countless steps, they reached a pair of grand blue doors. Satoshi conjured up a small ball of water and pressed it into one of the doors, after which a click was heard, signalling that the doors had unlocked.

When Jun asked, Satoshi explained that the doors were infused with Spirit magic that could sense if the water that was pressed into the door was made by a Water elemental or not.

"So if the Air royals wanted to get into the city there would be a representative waiting for them outside," Satoshi explained. The doors opened into a long hallway, which ran across the seabed. Magic-strengthened glass was put in place to prevent the hallway from being crushed by the strong water pressure and flooded.

Finally, after so many days, Satoshi pushed open yet another door and said proudly, "Welcome to Taura.


	13. Chapter Twelve

"Woah," Masaki looked around in wonder. A large dome-like structure had been built underwater, and the dome was built with magic-strengthened glass, like the hallways, so that they could look up to see different kinds of aquatic animals swimming around the dome.

Unlike Ourania, Taura was not bustling with merchants. This could be explained by the magic infused in the doors that allowed passage into Taura, Taura was, simply put, breathtaking. As they gaped at the sight of Taura, Satoshi smiled happily at the familiar sight of the castle walls. "What makes Taura so special is that it's underwater," Satoshi explained, "it's the only city in the entire land that the Water kingdom owns that is underwater. The rest are all on land."

"So this is the only city that is so heavily fortified?" Sho asked. Satoshi nodded. "It's like that mostly because the royal family presides here. Since the Water elemental royals are the unofficial leaders of the ruling houses, it's extremely important that we stay safe." "The other ruling houses have their own ways of protecting themselves. I'm sure all of you know what I'm talking about," Satoshi further explained. The others nodded.

"I see. Well then, what materials do we need to resupply?" Jun briskly got down to business. Sho took out a list of materials that they needed and passed it to Jun. "Fine then, the same as when we were in Ourania," Jun said. "First to find an inn that we can stay in. Satoshi, they have inns here, don't they?" Sho asked. Satoshi nodded. "Un. They probably have one, but if anyone asks we have to stick to the orphan story. Since the hallways into Taura are so heavily fortified the people here are slightly more wary of people that are not Water elementals."

Receiving nods from everyone, Jun set up the mind-link, and they set off to find an inn. After a few minutes of delay, they finally settled in and split up into the groups as before, just that this time Satoshi was the one dragging Kazunari everywhere. Masaki wondered off somewhere while Sho and Jun set off to get the supplies they needed from the market. After a few hours, they slowly gathered at the front of the castle, where they realized that they were, once again, too late.

When Satoshi asked around, it turned out that Satoshi's parents and Kazunari's parents had already set off for Celosia, the main city of Fire. Before Satoshi could start sulking, they were told that the royals would spend different amounts of time in each kingdom before they set out for the next city. This time, they had only spent one day in Taura, but who knew how long they would spend in the next few kingdoms? _"If we made haste,"_ Jun said, _"we might be able to catch up with them in Celosia."_

As murmurs of agreement echoed in the mind-link, Satoshi thanked the person he had asked and the five of them retreated back to the inn to discuss their plans. - Back in the inn in the privacy of their rooms, Jun mentioned, "Hey, you remember when we had to take a break on the way here to release our built-up power?" As the others nodded, Jun continued, "Johnny-san did pass us our family necklaces. And he said that the jewels can store as much magic as we wanted, right?"

Sho understood what Jun was getting at and continued his thought for him. "So that means that if we feel our magic is overflowing, we can just store the excess magic in the jewels! On one hand, we will be able to control our powers and on the other hand we will be able to absorb more magic from the necklaces if needed!" "Okay then. So we'll do that. That will reduce some of our travelling time. Kazu, can you familiarise yourself with the route we are taking to Celosia now? If I remember correctly, we will have to pass through two to three Water villages and the Ice section of the Water kingdom," Jun said.

Kazunari nodded and fetched the map so that he could study it and memorize the route they had to take to get through the Ice section. "Well then. Since it's getting late, we'll rest here for tonight. Tomorrow we're setting off early so I'll be waking all of you up," Jun clapped his hands once and stood up, stretching. "Good night," Sho yawned as he and Jun left the room that Satoshi, Kazunari and Masaki were sharing for the room that they shared.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

"Where are we headed?" Masaki asked, yawning. "To... the Ice city," Kazunari referred to the map before answering. "Oh! I know the city! It's incredibly cold! It's part of the Water kingdom and my father had to visit it once a year and brought me with him," Satoshi explained. "Great. Jun-kun, did we pack our winter clothes?" Kazunari asked.

"We did. We're fully packed for any weather we might experience," Jun confirmed. Kazunari nodded and Sho said, "We will be there in about a day, so you guys can get some more sleep. We still have a long way to go." Nodding, the rest settled down and fell asleep within minutes. Stifling a yawn of his own, Sho set off for the Ice city.

-

The young duke of the Ice city read through the letter that was sent to him.

_Dear Duke Yuri,_

_It has come to my attention that you have been looking for a consort. I have one in mind that is currently headed your way and will be passing through your city. He will be accompanied by four others, but he is the only Water elemental in the group, which would hopefully allow you to recognize him easily. Please ensure that his companions are out of the city by nightfall of the next day in case you find him satisfying. His companions will be very reluctant for you to take him as your spouse willingly. If the Water elemental is not to your tastes, please delay them for a day or two either way._

_Thank you._

_Akiyama Masaru_

Sighing, Chinen set down the letter. He would wait to see if this Water elemental could be his possible spouse. Hopefully Akiyama-sama had not sent him one that was ugly. And the companions were another matter. If they would object to him proposing to the Water elemental, how would he gain favour from the Water elemental's family?

Frowning, Chinen sighed. He had hoped to find a spouse to bear his heirs after his parents died when he was still 15, forcing him to take the position of duke. 3 years later and he was still struggling to keep up with all the affairs in the city. He hoped that his spouse would be able to help him with some of that.

-

Kazunari woke the others up to wear their winter clothing just before they entered the Ice city, having switched with (read: forced) Sho to take a break and get some sleep. Satisfied that they would not freeze, Kazunari navigated their caravan into the city, looking for an inn. Jun started up the mind-link again and pointed out an inn that Kazunari had missed.

The inn-keeper took one look at the group and knew immediately that they were the ones that the duke had the entire city look out for. It was not everyday a group of five came around. Two, maybe. Three, often. Four was less often, and anything above that was seldom.

Hence she knew immediately that they were the group and alerted a soldier that was passing by once she had given them their room keys. (She suspected they would not be staying there for long.)

-

The next day, the innkeeper informed them that a soldier had come by and asked them to report to the duke's mansion once they were ready. After shopping for supplies, they met up near the gate of the mansion. Someone, a butler, maybe, came out to welcome them into the mansion.

They were brought to meet with the duke, who had his back facing them. _"Don't you think he's rather short?"_ Masaki mentioned. No one bothered to reply him as the duke turned around. "You're the duke?" Sho asked, surprised. He did not look a day over 16! "Yes, I am. My name is Chinen Yuri, and I am duke of the Ice city," Chinen returned. "How old are you?" Kazunari asked. "17." was the short reply.

Before they could ask any more questions, Chinen asked one of his own. "Which one of you is an Water elemental?" he asked. "Why do you ask?" Jun narrowed his eyes. "Just reply me," Chinen replied. "I am," Satoshi stepped out. Chinen eyed him. Cute, was the first thing he thought. "Excellent," was all he said before he turned back around.

"Come back here tomorrow at this time. I would prefer if the Water elemental came alone," he ordered and just like that, they found themselves back outside the mansion. "Okay, that was weird," Jun spoke what they were all thinking. "Does he really think that we would let Satoshi come back alone tomorrow?" Kazunari asked, slightly offended.

"Kazu, it's fine. I'll come alone tomorrow, and Jun can keep the mind-link open, okay?" Satoshi reassured him. Kazunari looked at him for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.

-

The next day, Satoshi met with the duke alone. "What is your name?" Chinen asked. "Satoshi," Satoshi replied. "Well, Satoshi-san, I have a proposal for you. Are you willing to become my spouse?" Chinen asked directly. The mind-link immediately exploded. _"WHAT THE HELL. SATOSHI DON'T YOU DARE SAY YES I WILL MURDER YOU!"_ Kazunari spat into the mind-link, pissed off.

No one got to take his Satoshi away from him! Nino bared his teeth from the room in the inn. Luckily, the others were all not present in the room. Meanwhile, Satoshi masked his surprise and asked, "Why the sudden proposal?" "Well, first of all, you're a Water elemental. Second, you're cute. Ergo, I would like to take you as my spouse," Chinen shrugged.

"I'm sorry, but I shall have to reject your proposal," Satoshi said kindly. "Sadly, you kind of can't. I have gathered that you and your companions need to leave, and what I can do is not allow the guards to let you leave the city until you agree to marry me," Chinen stated. He hated to do this, but he really wanted a spouse so that the council could stop harping on him and this was the only way he could think of.

Satoshi thought it through. It was lucky that he had not brought any of the others today. Kazunari and Jun were spitting fire through the mind-link. He could tell that Sho was just simmering quietly while Masaki was probably gaping. "If I marry you, you'll let the others leave?" Satoshi asked. Chinen nodded.

 _"SATOSHI, DON'T YOU DARE,"_ Kazunari thundered. _"I'm sorry, Kazu, but if agreeing allows you to leave, then I will. Our parents are more important, you know that."_ Satoshi said apologetically in the mind-link. _"Satoshi-"_ Sho finally spoke. _"Let me do this for us, Sho,"_ Satoshi cut him off.

Jun was next. _"Satoshi, you don't have to do this, we can just leave by force,"_ he pleaded. _"This city is still under my father's jurisdiction, Jun. I cannot stand for any damage to the city. This is the safest way,"_ Satoshi reasoned. He could tell that Masaki was crying. _"It'll be fine, Masaki. I know that you guys will come back for me once you've managed to convince our parents we're the real thing,"_ Satoshi assured the Earth elemental.

Closing off his mind from the link, Satoshi agreed. He did not want to hear Kazunari's voice break. He could not. He had to do this for all of them. Besides, he was confident that they would get him out. He wasn't sure how long he would have to wait for them to convince their parents, but he was sure that they would. He trusted them.

-

They left the city gloomily, watching the gates closing behind them. Gloomiest of all, Kazunari sat in a corner of the caravan, hugging his knees. He was muttering a litany of how much he hated Satoshi, but they all knew that he was just incredibly upset. After a day of travel, Kazunari looked up with fire in his eyes.

"Turn the caravan around, Jun-kun," he said calmly. "Kazu," Sho started. Kazunari snapped, "We're not leaving him there, Sho. We're getting him out of there." Jun turned the caravan around and headed back the way they came. Sho sighed. Masaki just bounced excitedly. "Plan of attack?" Sho asked, resigned. "Sho, burn everything. Well, they'll melt, but same outcome. Jun, you can crush any metal doors or cages, Masaki, just destroy anything. Don't hurt anyone. The end, let's go." Kazunari rattled off.

-

They reached the city of Ice a day after, and they realized that Chinen had already announced his wedding. Slipping into the city with ease, Kazunari snarled, _"Not on my watch."_ into the mind-link. That night, they attacked the mansion. The locks bent easily under Jun's magic, and Masaki made vines twirl round the bars to keep it locked. _"Within half an hour they'll cover the gates,"_ Masaki said proudly.

Kazunari nodded grimly before heading for the front doors as Sho and Jun knocked the guards out systematically, with Sho deflecting their Ice magic with his Fire, and Jun knocking them out. _"Jun, scan for Satoshi's position,"_ Kazunari ordered. Jun did as he was told and said, _"Third floor, second room."_

 _"Head for that room,"_ Kazunari said. Making their way there, knocking out any personnel they came across, they opened the door to the room only to find a half-asleep Satoshi. "Oh, already?" he yawned, welcoming the mind-link. "Let's go, Satoshi. You can sleep in the caravan," Sho said fondly. Satoshi nodded and stumbled to Kazunari.

-

When they had finally made it out of the city, Kazunari told Sho to melt part of the mansion. No one ever said he wasn't a vindictive person. Chinen just groaned in his room and got up to write a complaint to Akiyama. After he'd gotten his staff re-settled to somewhere else.

Satoshi just yawned and mumbled, "Knew you guys would come back." before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, this was a fun chapter to write! Sorry if it seems weird, it's almost 2am here haha. And I'm sorry if I made Chinen out to be the bad guy :( He's so adorable. Hahahaha <3 Anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments and criticism greatly appreciated!
> 
> Ice magic - a sub-type of Water elemental magic
> 
> Masaru (勝): Japanese name meaning "victorious."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

After a few hours of leaving the Ice city, Jun took over and let Kazunari rest. As Kazunari climbed into the back of the caravan and sat down next to Satoshi, he slid his hand into Satoshi's. The older looked at him in mild surprise. Kazunari just smiled and nodded before Satoshi beamed brightly at him.

After so many years, they didn't have to talk to each other to understand what the other was saying. Kazunari had finally decided to be honest with himself and admit his feelings. When they next stopped to take a break and eat, all the other three had to do was look at the way they interacted with each other, and they knew.

Grinning, Masaki whispered something into Kazunari's ear, making the younger smack him. Satoshi just smiled. Sho walked over to Satoshi and nudged him. "Good for you," he murmured. Satoshi nodded and replied just as softly, "Now, if only you can do the same with Jun." Sho blushed and said nothing. After eating, they set off once again.

Little did they know, that at that moment, someone powerful in the city received a letter from his leader. Koyanagi Osamu read through the letter and smirked. Those five brats would not know what had hit them. He would not fail like Akiyama and Iwamoto. He knew exactly what to do. He would finish the job for good, then they would be able to rise to the positions as rulers of the five kingdoms. Burning the letter to destroy evidence, Koyanagi headed to the room they reserved for magic usage in the mansion. About an hour later fire imps could be seen trailing out of one of the open windows in the mansion.

~~~

Two days later, the quintet finally reached Celosia, City of Fire. The city was surrounded with volcanos and pits that spouted magma and lava ever so often. As such, many fire elemental creatures could be seen around the city, not limited to fire imps and phoenixes. As usual, as soon as they had settled down, they split up. Masaki saw a pet shop and gravitated to it, disappearing into the shop. Jun ensured that the mind link was set up before the other four split up into their pairs. Satoshi and Kazunari walked down the streets together, treating this as their first (formal) date.

Sho and Jun set off to stock up on supplies and get news about how long their parents would be staying in Celosia. After asking a few people, they were able to discern that they still had about two more days before their parents set off for Nevaeh, City of Spirit. They bought the supplies that they needed and shared the information they had gotten to the others via the mind link.

"It'll be Satoshi's birthday soon, won't it?" Sho asked Jun, who nodded. "We still have about a week. Have you thought about what to give him?" Jun asked. Sho nodded. "I'll need to get some things first, though. How about I meet you here later? You can just look around and see if anything catches your eye," Sho told him. Jun nodded and they split up.

Sho made his way to a shop that he hoped was still around. He remembered the shop from the times he was allowed out of the castle to 'mingle with his future citizens', as his father liked to say. Spotting the old sign of the shop, Sho smiled and made his way in. The little bell tinkled merrily as the door opened.

"Welcome~" a girl sang. Sho was surprised at the sight of her. "Where's the old woman that used to run this shop?" he asked. "Oh, I'm her granddaughter! My mother and grandmother are out right now, so I'm taking care of the shop! Now, how can I help you?" she explained. "Oh, I'm looking for a fire glass ball and some molding metal," Sho told her. "Right this way!" the girl led him into the shop and directed him to an aisle. "This is where you'll find the glass balls, and the molding metal is two aisles to your right." Sho nodded his thanks and starting looking for what he needed.

Jun looked around and spotted a cafe. He made his way into the shop and ordered a cappuccino, settling down in an armchair with his drink. It was getting dark, he noticed. He brushed against the minds of the others to ensure their safety. Getting okays from all of them, he settled in even further and flipped through a magazine on the table in front of him, but he did not notice the fire imps slipping into the store.

Masaki was happily playing with a few animals when he sensed the thought equivalent of '!!!' in his mind. "Sho? Nino? Satoshi? Jun?" he asked. He could sense the questioning thoughts that they sent, but... "Jun?"

~~~

"Jun?" At Masaki's thought, Satoshi and Kazunari looked at each other, alarmed. Sho's eyes widened and he hurriedly paid the girl and rushed out of the shop. He saw the smoke billowing into the sky from one of the shops and headed in that direction. "Guys! Head in the direction of the smoke!" Sho exclaimed. His mind raced. Jun had to be still conscious, if not the mind link would have been cut. But he could not sense anything from him, which meant that Jun must have partially closed off his mind, but for what reason? He came to the conclusion that Jun had been hurt. Badly. His expression became grimmer and he sped up.

They reached the source of the smoke almost at the same time that the mind link was cut. Deftly dodging the people that were streaming in and out of the shop, trying to control the fire, they quickly entered the shop. "Jun!" Masaki shouted. Satoshi got to work, putting out small fires here and there. It was then that Kazunari spotted a familiar ring on a hand. "There!" he shouted. The hand was buried under a pile of rubble and wood, and Satoshi put out the fires on the pile before the other three hefted the big chunks of cement up.

Slowly, Jun's body could be seen, and they quickly pulled him out and carried him out of the shop. Masaki knelt next to him, cupping Jun's face in his hands as the other three crowded around him. Concentrating, Masaki focused his magic into healing Jun's injuries. Sho looked around and noticed a few fire imps scampering away. He narrowed his eyes in thought. Then he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. As the crowd parted, more familiar faces appeared.

"Guys..." Sho breathed out and Kazunari and Satoshi looked up. They were met with the faces of their parents as the royals made their way over. "Whatever you do, Masaki, whatever you hear, don't look up and focus on healing Jun, alright?" Sho murmured to Masaki distractedly, staring at their parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ooh, what's going to happen now? Sorry for not updating in so long, guys! I hit a mental block, plus school reopened and it's Chinese New Year period so I was busy visiting and whatnot. I'll try to return to my frequent updates, okay?  
> Osamu - 1) 紀, 2) 修, 3) 理, 4) 収, 5) 治, 6) 統 - 1) "chronicler," 2) "disciplined," 3) "logical," 4) "obtainer," 5) "to reign," 6) "ruler"


	16. Chapter Fifteen

“Do you need some help, young man?” Satoshi’s father asked. “N-no, sir,” Sho replied. “He looks gravely injured, was he near the epicenter of the blast?” Kazunari’s mother asked. “He was, ma’am. Oh, that reminds me!” Sho turned and closed his eyes briefly. “Kazu,” the Royals noticeably startled at the name, “I saw some fire imps leaving the café. Track them,” Sho told Kazunari.

Kazunari nodded and headed off. “Satoshi, help calm Masaki down or he won’t be able to concentrate on healing Jun,” Sho told Satoshi, who nodded and knelt down next to Masaki, projecting waves of tranquility that were the specialty of Water elementals. Sho calmed down slightly after sensing them, knowing that Satoshi knew how panicked he was inside. He only hoped that their parents could recognize them.

Staring at Jun’s limp form, Sho took a deep breath and turned around, coming face to face with his father. “F-your Majesty!” Sho kneeled. Inwardly, he cursed himself for saying “your Majesty”. What had pushed him to say “your Majesty” instead of “Father”? “It’s not time,” a voice whispered in his head. “Jun?” he asked. “Do I sound like a male to you, young man? No, I am not Matsumoto-sama. Come find me in Nevaeh. There are things that you have to know before you reveal who you are, Sakurai-sama,” the voice said and the presence retreated from Sho’s mind.

“Where do you come from, boy?” the leader of the Fire kingdom asked. This boy… he looked too similar to his son. Sho’s mind worked furiously. They could not very well say that they came from the Middle, that would just incite more questions. If the woman was to be believed, they could not reveal who they were until they met the lady.

“From Ourania, your Majesty. We were orphaned as kids and grew up together,” Sho replied. “I see. How old are you this year?” Sho’s father asked. “17 years this year, sir,” Sho replied. His father’s next question was cut off by Masaki’s gasp as he finished healing Jun. “Jun!” Sho turned around and knelt down next to Satoshi. Jun looked at them with semi-lucidity. He then caught sight of the Royals and his eyes widened. Looking at Sho, he gestured at the Royals with his eyes. Sho shook his head imperceptibly.

Jun frowned slightly, but said nothing. “How are you feeling, boy?” Satoshi’s mother asked. “I-I’m fine, ma’am,” Jun said, which incited a coughing fit. “Like hell you’re okay!” Sho snapped. “I'm fine,” Jun said firmly, eyes daring Sho to say otherwise. Satoshi said, “Can you stand?”, effectively cutting off the argument that he knew was coming.

Jun nodded and stood up, with Masaki helping him. “We must go now, sirs, ma’ams,” one of the servants approached the Royals. “Alright,” Satoshi’s father dismissed the servant. “Well, I'm glad the lad is alright. Take care, sons,” Satoshi’s father said. Satoshi luckily had his back facing his father, as his eyes watered at hearing his father call him ‘son’ again.

After the carriages left, they just stayed there in their positions, silent. Just then, Kazunari came back. Seeing him, Sho snapped out of his daze and stood up. "Kazu, how was it?" he asked. “The fire imps went into some kind of cave, and it got too hot for me so I didn’t stay long,” Kazunari said.

“I see. That cave must lead underground. Fire imps live near where magma flow is present. That means that they were given their reward beforehand, I’m guessing some kind of ruby. Only rubies would entice fire imps enough for a Fire elemental to control them. This also means that the Fire elemental that did this must be a noble, because only those with the rank of noble or higher would have the money to buy rubies and hire fire imps,” Sho thought out loud.

“Jun, you’re not allowed to set up the mind-link for the next two days. You need to recover,” Satoshi told him. The more Sho thought, the more his frown deepened. Kazunari whacked him in the shoulder. “Stop thinking, I can almost hear your thoughts,” he snapped. Sho huffed. “C’mon, let’s go back to our room. We need to pack so that we can catch up with our families,” Kazunari said. “Oh, that reminds me, Sho, why did you not tell your father that you were his son?” Jun asked.

“I actually don’t know. A woman’s voice spoke in my head and said that it wasn’t time yet. Only Spirit elementals have the ability to speak in others’ minds, but all the way from Nevaeh? She must be really strong,” Sho explained. Jun frowned. “A Spirit elemental with the ability to control speech and is a telepath? I think I know who it is,” Jun pondered. “I’ll have to see when we get to Nevaeh,” Jun told them. They quickly returned to the room, with Sho ensuring that they had enough supplies and quickly set off for the next town.

-

“Well done,” Koyanagi was told. The five had gathered in secret and Akiyama and Iwamoto had been severely scolded by the other three. "Now, it's my turn," their leader said. "It's on my turf they're heading to next, I'll ensure that they are finished," the Spirit elemental, Kawaguchi Akio, said, "I'll finish what we should have done years ago."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've got the next chapter in the works, and I hope you enjoy it! Has everyone seen the Daremo Shiranai performance and the short preview of GUTS? I can't wait! Also, in case anyone didn't know, JE is releasing Arafes 2013 concert DVD soon! I had nearly given up hope that they wouldn't release it <3
> 
> Akio (1-昭雄, 2-昭夫): meaning 1) "glorious hero" or 2) "glorious man."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

When they reached Nevaeh, they settled down at an inn before separating to do their own things. Jun and Sho went around buying supplies. As they did so, Sho watched as Jun’s eyes darted from place to place as he remembered his childhood. As they finished up their shopping, Jun asked Sho, “Remember that lady? Did her voice sound old or young?” “Young,” Sho replied. Jun smiled. “I think I know who to go to. Come on, follow me,” Jun led Sho to a shop selling gemstones. “Here?” Sho asked. Jun nodded and entered the shop.

“Mao-chan!” Jun called. “Mao-chan, stop hiding, I know you’re here,” Jun said when there was no reply. There was a sound as an old lady emerged from the back of the shop. “Long time no see, Matsumoto-sama,” the old lady said. “Stop with the disguise, Mao-chan. Just show me your normal face,” Jun said exasperatedly.

The old lady pouted and did as she was told. Sho jumped as her body started changing. “Jun!” he exclaimed. “It’s fine, Sho,” Jun assured him. When the old lady’s body stopped warping, a girl around their age met them. “Now this looks more like you,” Jun said and moved to hug the girl.

“I do have to keep up the disguise for this shop, you know,” the girl, Mao-chan, said. “Of course. The last time we met, you were only 5 and was running your own shop already, it’s no wonder you need a disguise,” Jun replied. “Well, not everyone will like seeing a little girl being the owner of a shop. Mama did tell me to do it,” Mao-chan retorted. “Anyway, I won’t need it soon. After a few more months I’m using my normal face to run the shop under the excuse that my grandmother has passed away,” Mao continued. It was then that the girl noticed Sho.

“Hello, Sakurai-sama,” she said, “I am Inoue Mao, Jun’s childhood friend. I’m also a shapeshifter.” “It’s an honor to meet you. A shapeshifter?” Sho said, visibly startled. Shapeshifting was an ability that was incredibly rare, with only less than 10 born every year.

“My family has had the shapeshifter gene for generations, and it’s just an added ability to my Spirit elemental powers. I’m glad you listened and did not tell your father who you are. You would have been in great danger if you did,” Mao said. “What’s going on, Mao?” Jun asked. “Gather the other three so I can explain everything in one go,” Mao said.

“Guys, head for the shop that is directly opposite the one with the floating sphere sign,” Jun said. Soon, all of them were gathered. Mao reintroduced herself, turned the ‘Open’ sign to the side with the ‘Closed’ sign to face outside with her powers and led the five to the back.

“When I heard that the five heirs had been kidnapped, I immediately sent out a few spies to find out what was going on. Your kidnapping was planned by five noble families who were and are still eyeing the thrones that you five will inherit. That’s why I told you, Sakurai-sama, not to reveal who you are first as that could push the noble families to take drastic action,” Mao explained.

“Which noble families?” Kazunari asked. “From the Fire elementals, the Koyanagi family. From the Air elementals, the Iwamoto family. From the Spirit elementals, the Kawaguchi family. From the Water elementals, the Akiyama family. From the Earth elementals, the Ishikawa family,” Mao said.

“Aren’t they the ones next in line for the throne once our families’ bloodlines have died out?” Jun asked, alarmed. Mao nodded. “Now you see why I couldn’t allow you to reveal who you are just yet,” Mao directed this at Sho. “Yeah. If I’d revealed it to my parents they would have become even more desperate to bring us down,” Sho nodded.

“Right. Now that you see my point, on to my next topic. How are your powers?” Mao asked. “We’re keeping our powers at 40% but we need to let ourselves go for a while at a wide area,” Jun explained. “Well, I think I can help with that. I do own a gemstone shop, after all,” Mao said.

“How?” Masaki asked. “I have some gemstones here that I saved just for the five of you. I knew that when it was time you five would need them. I think they will help quite a bit too,” Mao said as she handed out five gemstones. They looked similar to the gemstones that they had to wear as proof that they were heirs to the throne, but at the same time, somewhat different.

“Now, I know that the one you already have is to store your excess magic, but this one will help you with that problem. It’ll take some time explaining this to you guys, so I took the initiative and invited two people I think you guys would love to meet again. They’re on their way right now, so you guys can just look around and see what catches your interest,” Mao said.

Shrugging, Jun dragged Sho over to look at some necklaces. Satoshi had nodded off in the corner and Kazunari tried to corral Masaki as he walked around excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for not updating in so long, guys. Last month was exam period, so I didn't really have time to update and all. Mao appears in this chapter! Two more characters will be appearing in the next :D Who do you think will appear? Comments and criticism are greatly appreciated! Have all of you watched Arafes 2013 yet? Next on the waiting list: LOVE concert! I'm really upset over the fact that they cut out the part where Arashi celebrated Matsumiya's birthdays though. :( I'm so jealous about the Shanghai live screening that JE is having! :(


	18. Chapter Seventeen

The bell tinkled as two guys stepped into the shop. “Mao-chan, you called?” the first one called. The second one looked curiously at the five people inside the shop. He found them somewhat familiar, he thought.

Mao nodded. “Right. Once I say their names all of you will know who they are,” she directed this to the five already in the shop. “Guys, these two are Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma,” Mao introduced. The two smiled brightly when they were introduced.

“Toma-kun?” Masaki gasped excitedly. Toma frowned. “Do I know you?” he asked. Masaki was about to introduce himself, but he hesitated and looked at Sho, who was beaming too. Sho nodded for him to go ahead and Masaki bounded forward to hug Toma. “I’m Masaki! Do you remember me? You should remember me!” Masaki said.

Toma frowned again before brightening. “Aiba Masaki? But wait, you are supposed to be missing…” he said in a questioning tone. “That’s going to take some time to explain. For now, yes, Toma, that is Aiba Masaki, heir to the Earth throne. Which means that the others will be familiar to you two too,” Mao said.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Mao knows what happened to us,” Jun snorted, before moving forward and hugging Toma. “Long time no see, Toma,” Jun said. “Jun! And Kazu and Sho-kun and Satoshi-kun!” Toma exclaimed, hugging Jun back. Shun stared at them in shock before hugging back when Jun let go of Toma and moved to hug him too.

There were more loud exclamations as Masaki and Toma became excited together, as they were wont to do when they were younger. Ikuta Toma was an Air elemental and was one year younger than Jun and Nino. Oguri Shun was a Spirit elemental and was two years older than Toma. Back when Satoshi and Sho were busy taking lessons in preparation for them to ascend the throne, Masaki, Kazunari and Jun spent their days playing with Shun and Toma.

When they were taken, the memories that they missed the most were playing with Toma and Shun. Now that they had grown up, one would expect them to be more mature. However, as Masaki and Toma bounced around in excitement in the middle of the store, Kazunari thought that they really had never had grown up.

Despite this, his next thought was that he hoped that they would forever stay that way, always so happy and cheerful, full of ideas. Only Jun heard that thought, but Jun too, had the same sentiments and knew to keep quiet. Mao smiled at their antics.

“Right, so now I’ll explain these gemstones. You can thread them with your other gemstone, you should be able to sense the difference between the two. If you can’t, tell me now before I continue,” Mao said.

The five of them checked and nodded when they realized that there was a slight difference in how the gemstones felt to their magic. “Okay, so, these gemstones cannot store magic, but they can help you keep your powers under control. I know you’ve been channeling power into your heir gemstones – they were given for that purpose.

However, you do need to let loose every once in a while, am I right? The gemstones that I gave you will help you control that, once you put them on. They will help to keep your power levels at whatever amount you wish, but with one added bonus – you get to keep the special abilities you can use at 100%,” Mao explained.

At those words, all their heads shot up from examining the gemstones. “Really?!” Masaki said excitedly. Mao smiled and nodded. “My wings will be able to form even though I’m at 40%?” Kazunari asked just to make sure. “Of course,” Mao said. They quickly string the gemstone they were given onto the necklace. “My magic feels more stable now,” Sho commented.

He quickly tried it out, turning his arms to molten lava. He transformed his arms back to skin and bones and smiled. “Thanks, Mao,” Sho said. Each elemental magic user that had strong magic running in their blood had a special ability that was the same for all strong magic users of that element. There were, however, exceptions.

Spirit elemental magic users usually had the special ability of teleportation, but the Matsumoto family was unique. In addition to teleportation, they also had the ability to tell the power range of different magic users. They could tell how strong each magic user was, which element they used and how much power they were exerting at one time.

It was, however, specific to the Matsumoto family, which was why they had been chosen as the rulers of the Spirit elementals all those years ago. Air elementals got wings. Kazunari’s wings were pale yellow, so pale they seemed white. Water elementals had the ability to breath underwater, and swim just like fish. In short, they became merpeople. Earth elementals had the ability to teleport too, but only through rocks and trees – things related to nature.

Just then, a thought occurred to Jun. “Mao-chan, have you heard of Johnny Kitagawa?” he asked Mao. “Why do you ask?” Mao asked curiously. “Who is he?” Jun asked. “He’s the Spirit elemental elder,” Shun replied for Mao. “Elders are the highest ranking elemental there is, even higher ranked than the rulers of the cities. They are also the strongest elementals there is,” Toma added.

The five showed shocked expressions as they realized who the person that had taken care of them for so many years was. They thought that he was a merchant that made trips to the city to sell his wares. Sell what, they did not know, but they knew that all the materials that he had had to come from somewhere. Now they knew how he got all those materials. As elder, Johnny was sure to get many gifts as magic users tried to get him to do things for them, like name a newborn child.

“Additionally, I have one more thing to tell Jun. I think you should know by now how you boys got out of that cage,” Mao said to Jun. Jun hesitantly nodded. The other four looked at Jun, worried. They all knew how they had gotten out of that cage. Of course, Johnny had brought them to safety, but it was Jun that made the first move to help them escape.

It was said that Spirit elementals with the ability to control metal were incredibly rare. There were only two people known that were still alive and could control metal. One was in a coma. The other was Johnny himself. “You know how important it is that you keep that ability to yourselves,” Mao said.

The five of them nodded. Mao looked at them for a few seconds before nodding once. “Good. So, I think that’s all I have to tell you. You’ll want to continue on your way to catch up with your parents. Shun, Toma, you might want to join them on their journey. You guys can catch up with each other,” Mao said with finality. Shun and Toma nodded.

“We’ll go and pack. We’ll meet you guys in an hour,” Shun said, dragging Toma out of the shop. “I guess we’ll go buy more supplies in the time being,” Sho suggested. They split up as they went exploring. After they met up again with Shun and Toma, they waved goodbye to Mao and set off again.

Jun opened up the mind-link to connect with Shun and Toma, so that it was easier for them to communicate. After a few hours of travel, they stopped to take a break near a network of caves. It was then that Kazunari started shaking. Jun realized that someone was trying to get into Kazunari’s head.

He could do nothing more than put a shield over Kazunari’s mind before he was thrown out by the unknown Spirit elemental. Jun flinched and pushed the others away from Kazunari telekinetically as he realized what that meant. He had successfully protected Kazunari’s mind from being taken over and his memories being looked through, but the unknown attacker had still managed to take over his body.

“Kazu?” Satoshi asked. “No, Satoshi, that’s not Kazunari right now. He can still hear us, but it’s not him in control of his body,” Jun said. “J-jun, get them out of here! Teleport everyone and the caravan out!” Kazunari said with difficulty, managing to take over his body long enough.

“Shun, help me! Bring them to Mao!” Jun cried, quickly teleporting the caravan first, dodging the air blades that Kazunari sent in his direction. Shun quickly started teleporting the others, while Jun held Satoshi back as he tried to approach Kazunari.

“Kazu!” Satoshi yelled just before Jun teleported the both of them back to Mao’s shop. Satoshi’s knees gave out and he nearly fell before Masaki caught him, hugging him. “We’ll get him back,” Masaki said determinedly. “We’re not leaving until we get Kazu back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh! Sorry for not updating, guys. I managed to write out another two stories for another series I'm planning - I decided to make my OT5!soulmate fic into a series, but I told myself that I wouldn't upload those until I got another chapter of The Missing out. So, here you go! I'll be uploading the other two tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I hope you read them! Comments and criticism are greatly appreciated! Oh, by the way, I WENT TO THE SINGAPORE WAKU WAKU LIVE SCREENING <3 Also, Toma and Shun are cute. I loved Hanazakari no Kimitachi e!


	19. Chapter Eighteen

“Kazu?” Satoshi’s voice trembled. He looked around the shop, distraught. “Satoshi…” Sho murmured. “Masaki?” Toma asked. Masaki was eerily quiet, having released Satoshi. Jun approached Masaki slowly. When Masaki was quiet, it was something that had to be worried about.

Masaki was only ever quiet when he was very upset. When he was upset... well, let’s just say that they had had to repair Johnny’s house a few times. “We’ll get him back, Masaki,” Jun said reassuringly. “Promise?” Satoshi said. Jun nodded. “He was controlled by someone, that’s for sure,” Shun said. “What exactly happened?” Mao spoke for the first time since they’d teleported into her shop. Sho explained the events that had transpired to Mao.

“You said that he was able to speak?” Mao asked. Jun nodded. “When I realized that Kazu’s mind was being under attack I managed to put up a shield around his mind, but his body was still taken over,” he elaborated. “I see. Well, I can tell you that this attack was done by one of the families I told you about before you left, the Kawaguchi family,” Mao said.

“How can we get Kazu back?” Masaki asked, eyes determined. “Only Ninomiya-sama himself can regain control of his body. However, you can help him with that. The person controlling Ninomiya-sama’s body, whom I’m guessing is Kawaguchi Akio who is head of the Kawaguchi family, will have to stay close to Ninomiya-sama so as to maintain full control over his body. What you guys can do is to attack Kawaguchi while dodging Ninomiya-sama’s attacks. By doing so, you’ll be able to weaken his control over Ninomiya-sama’s body, allowing Ninomiya-sama to regain control of his body,” Mao explained.

“So, full frontal assault, then?” Sho asked. “Yes, but you must be careful. Any injury inflicted will be felt by Ninomiya-sama still, and Aiba-sama cannot heal him until he has full control of his body once more as it will help to weaken Ninomiya-sama’s attacks while you are still under attack. If Ninomiya-sama is dealt a fatal blow, he will die, regardless of whether his body is under his own control or not,” Mao continued.

“We’ll get Kazu back,” Jun said determinedly, “He’s strong enough to fight back as his willpower is one of the strongest that I’ve seen.” “Jun, can you track Kazu’s mind?” Satoshi asked, having regained his composure. “Let me try,” Jun said. He closed his eyes and concentrated, sending out feelers around the kingdom. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, “He’s at the network of caves we were near to before Kazunari was taken. I’m guessing that’s where he was when taking over Kazu’s body too.” “Then that’s where we’re going,” Toma said.

“Let’s go then. We have someone to save,” Shun said, getting ready to teleport them back. “Right,” Jun said, getting ready to teleport them back too. “Mao-chan, we’ll be leaving the caravan here, when we return with Kazu we’ll come back here,” Sho said. “Before we go,” Masaki piped up, “I think I know someone that can help us. I met her when I was exploring Nevaeh’s market.” “Anyone that can help us is welcome, Masaki,” Jun said.

"Great! I’ll go find her now,” Masaki said and sprinted out of the shop. After a while, he came back with a girl in tow. “Masaki-san?” the girl stopped in her tracks after seeing the number of people in the store. “It’s fine, Becky-san, they’re my friends!” Masaki reassured her brightly.

“Hello, my name is Becky, nice to meet all of you,” Becky bowed. “Becky-san? Has Masaki told you about who he is?” Sho asked. “No, he just told me to follow him if I wanted to help him in his quest,” Becky said, rubbing the back of her neck. “What is your job, Becky-san, if I may ask?” Jun asked. “I’m a trader from Xantara, the heart of the Earth kingdom. I am also occasionally a teacher at my father’s school, teaching children how to control their Earth elemental magic,” Becky replied. Jun used his special power to scan Becky, realizing that she was a strong Earth elemental.

“Right, so, back to the main topic. What we’re going to tell you stays in this shop only. It’s not allowed to be spoken about anywhere else unless you’re with us,” Sho said. “Okay, I guess?” Becky replied. Masaki moved to stand with Sho and the others as Sho started explaining to her their real identities. Becky stared open-mouthed at Masaki as he ducked his head embarrassedly after Sho’s explanation.

"You’re all the missing heirs to the throne?” Becky exclaimed. “Not all of us,” Toma spoke up. “Shun and Toma are our childhood friends. The heir to the Air throne was taken and we need help getting him back. Would you mind helping us?” Jun said. “Sure, sure. Anything for the heirs to the throne. Just let me do something first,” Becky said.

She then walked up to Masaki and whacked him up the head.

“You idiot! Can’t you tell me something like that in the first place?” she scolded him. “I was going to, but I didn’t know if you would treat me differently! I don’t want that!” Masaki retorted. “Am I treating you any different now?” Becky asked him. “Well, no,” Masaki replied. “Then what do you have to worry about?” Becky asked.

“Nothing?” Masaki said sheepishly. “Exactly,” Becky said, “Right. I’m done.” She then looked around at the others who were looking at their interactions amusedly. “Where did you guys meet anyway?” Sho asked, curious. “I first met her when we were in Celosia. We started talking and then when we reached Nevaeh I went off to see if she was here too,” Masaki explained. “I’m a trader of the gemstones that the Earth kingdom is famous for,” Becky said.

Jun took note of the way Masaki looked at Becky and how Becky looked at Masaki, and knew that Masaki had found the equivalent of Sho to himself. Now all he had to do was make sure that Masaki did not screw up somewhere and inform Kazunari about this, once they got him back. He also knew that he would have to tell Sho soon, but he was reluctant to as he was afraid of what Sho would say. He made up his mind to tell Sho once they got Kazunari back.

“I parked my caravan next to Masaki’s, I hope that’s fine,” Becky said. “Oh, it’s fine,” Mao said. She then briefed everyone again on what to do and wished them good luck. “Right. Now that that’s done, let’s go get Kazu back,” Satoshi said. With that, Jun and Shun gathered the group together and teleported everyone over to a distance from the caves.

Jun concentrated and sussed out Kazunari’s location again, and told the group where to go in the caves. Finally, they ended up in a large cavern deep into the network of caves. There, two people stood. “Kazu!” Satoshi and Masaki said at the same time. “Let’s see how willing you are to fight one of your comrades!” Kawaguchi laughed, and started making Kazunari’s body form attacks.

As Mio had advised, all of them concentrated their attacks on Kawaguchi, while dodging Kazunari’s attacks. As Kawaguchi took injuries, he started using Kazunari as a shield instead. Slowly, the group spread out to circle Kawaguchi so Kazunari could not protect him from all their attacks. As Kazunari gained more injuries, so did Kawaguchi. Meanwhile, in Kazunari’s mind, Kazunari probed Kawaguchi’s control over his body, looking for cracks in his control so that he could tear apart Kawaguchi’s control.

Finally, Kawaguchi’s control weakened for a second, and Kazunari grabbed the chance and started fighting back, trying to regain control over his body. “Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. My. Body. You. Bastard!” Kazunari gritted his teeth as he regained full control over his body. Once he did so, Masaki immediately stopped attacking Kawaguchi and focused on healing Kazunari. Jun, having put shields around everyone’s minds with Shun’s help, put one around Kazunari’s again, thus protecting his mind and preventing his body from being taken over again.

After Masaki healed Kazunari, Masaki sent a fist-sized ball of earth to hit Kawaguchi on the head, knocking him out. “Kazu!” Satoshi exclaimed, running over to where Kazunari was seated. “I’m fine, Satoshi, who’s this?” Kazunari assured Satoshi and asked about Becky. As Satoshi explained who Becky was, Kazunari observed the way Masaki interacted with her.

He knew that Masaki had found the one, as he liked to say, and knew he had to help Masaki so as to prevent any screw-ups. However, seeing the way they interacted, Kazunari had a feeling that Becky would do just fine. After ensuring that everyone was safe, they left the unconscious Kawaguchi in the cave and teleported out. After they’d teleported back to the shop, Jun dragged Sho to the side.

‘Time to face the music,’ Jun thought, taking a deep breath. “Jun? What’s wrong?” Sho queried, worried. “I-I have something to tell you, Sho,” Jun said haltingly. As Jun and Sho talked, Satoshi saw the way they held themselves and knew that they’d be fine before focusing on Kazu again, trying to reassure himself that Kazunari was back and was unharmed. He was currently cuddled up next to Kazunari on the floor, as Kazunari talked to Becky.

Masaki was doing something with Toma, but Satoshi did not know what. Shun just observed Toma and Masaki’s antics, amused. Satoshi’s attention was drawn back to Sho and Jun, who were now… making out in the corner? Amused, Satoshi sent out a tiny ball of water to run down Sho’s back which was currently facing him.

Sho jumped at the feeling of water and quickly evaporated it, but at least they were not making out anymore. Sho turned around and saw Satoshi grinning at him, before he buried his face into Jun’s shoulder and tried not to die from embarrassment. Jun just grinned back, a genuine smile on his face after a long time. Despite the happiness going around right now, they still had one more hurdle to pass – convincing their parents that they were the real heirs to the throne.

They would do it at Xantara, where, as the last city the royals visited, the royals stayed the longest. They also granted access for a longer period of time to the people who had problems and wanted the royals to help them. Satoshi only hoped that they would be able to reunite with their parents without much fanfare, but he suspected that that would not be the case. Well, one could hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, one of the longest chapters I've written so far! I hope you guys liked it? Becky finally appeared and Jun finally confessed! I dunno, I'm really tired. I'll go sleep now, happy Friendship Day, everyone!


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Before they left Nevaeh, Mao promised them that she would leave for Xantara too, after she settles some other deals that were coming in. Thereafter, they set off for Xantara as a group of eight. Masaki, as expected, sat in Becky’s caravan with Shun and Toma, while the other two couples took the caravan that Johnny had designed and made for them, with Kazunari driving the caravan. Jun first set up the mind-link between the five of them, intending to talk to Masaki about Becky first.  
  
“ _So, Masaki,_ ” Kazunari said. “ _Hmm?_ ” Masaki replied. “ _About Becky…_ ” Kazunari started. “ _What about her?_ ” Masaki asked. “ _When, where and how did you meet her?_ ” Jun questioned. “ _Kazu, focus on driving,_ ” Satoshi interrupted. Kazunari pouted, but grudgingly listened and stopped talking, listening in and concentrating more on steering.  
  
“ _I met her when we were in Taura. She has special permission to enter the city as she’s the daughter of the largest gemstone mining company in Xantara. I faintly remember playing with her as a child, and she definitely remembers me now. Even as a child, I think, I liked her a lot. Anyway, I was out exploring to find pretty things and I met her. We started talking, and then I realized that she was heading in the same direction as us. We got delayed by all the events that happened, so she reached the cities first. Then all this happened and I figured it would be fine to tell her about us. She’s the one for me, anyway,_ ” Masaki explained everything in one go.  
  
“ _Right, as long as you tell her soon,"_  Jun said, ” _I’m letting the others in, so keep quiet about this topic._ ” He then stretched out his mind-link. “ _Knock-knock!_ ” he said into Toma’s and Shun’s personal mind-link. He also let Becky’s mind join the mind-link. ” _Don’t be surprised, Becky,_ ” Jun said. Behind Kazunari’s caravan, Becky jolted and caused the caravan to swerve.  
  
” _What’s this?_ ” Becky asked after she had gotten her caravan back under control amidst groans from the three boys. ” _It’s a mind-link, and it makes it easier for us to talk while travelling,_ ” Shun explained. “ _All Spirit elementals have this ability_ ,” Jun continued. “ _I see. So, what are you boys going to do once you reach Xantara?_ ” Becky asked. Sho said something then. “ _Mao told me something about a prophecy. She wrote it down and handed it to me. I think it’s about us,_ ” he said. “ _Read it out, Sho-tan,_ ” Kazunari said.  
  
 _“Five will return to the people  
but they won’t be there to settle.  
Sooner or later five will meet two and one  
and the rainbow will be complete.  
Five will split into four and one,  
but they will again be one.  
Two will fall and two will rise,  
but one will heal and one will seal.  
The storm will rise high,  
their reign, the wind will never deny.”_  
  
Sho read the prophecy out. _“Toma, Shun, what colour are your family gemstones?_ ” Kazunari asked. The others kept quiet, as they had learnt that once Kazunari was onto something and started figuring things out, it was best to keep quiet and not disturb him and break his train of thoughts.  _“Orange for me, indigo for Shun. What’s wrong?”_  Toma replied.  
  
 _"The seven colours of the rainbow. Sho-chan, red. Toma, orange. Myself, yellow. Masaki, green. Satoshi, blue. Shun, indigo. Jun-kun, violet,”_ Kazunari said.  _“Kazu, change places with me. I’ll take over steering while you work it out with Sho,_ ” Jun ordered. Kazunari did as he was told, muttering to himself. Sho sat beside Kazunari.  
  
“ _Sooner or later five will meet two and one. That refers to us meeting Shun, Toma and Becky,_ ” Sho said, scrambling to write it down. “ _The rainbow refers to our familial gemstones. I’m guessing that the ‘split into four and one’ part refers to my body being taken over, since we were in a way four against one,”_ Kazunari said.  _“But what do the other lines mean?”_  he wondered. ”I guess we’ll see,” Sho said.  _“Well, we won’t have to guess for long, boys. We only have about a day’s travel before we reach Xantara,”_  Becky informed them.  
  
Masaki bounced excitedly, causing Becky’s caravan to shake.  _“I’ve missed my forest!”_  he exclaimed. “ _How are the magic levels for you guys and also in your gemstones, guys?”_  Sho asked.  _“Good. We won’t need to release any excess magic then,”_ he said, receiving positive replies from the others. With that, they looked for a good place to park their caravans and set up camp for the night. Finally, two days after they left Nevaeh, they reached Xantara.  
  
Shun had taken over steering Becky’s caravan while the latter rested, and Sho was driving the other. As soon as the gates came into sight, Becky asked them to stop and took the lead. Then, they continued on to the gates. As they reached the gates, the guards ordered them to stop while they checked the caravans. “ _Whenever the Royals visit Xantara, the security goes up by a lot. After all, the five of you were taken from the Earth palace gardens. Ever since then, the security of the city has been tightened, every time the Royals visit,”_ Becky explained.  
  
As soon as the caravans were checked, the gates opened and they finally entered Xantara. Xantara was a beautiful place. The largest Earth elemental city lay in a valley of mountains, providing great scenery and many flora and fauna. The road into Xantara even after the gates was surrounded by forest, with only a path for caravans and other modes of transport. Masaki bounced excitedly, happy to be back in his city. Just then, Satoshi said,  _“Stop the caravans, guys.”_  
  
Becky and Sho did as they were told, parking by the side of the road. Satoshi got off the caravan and walked towards the other caravan, where Masaki was still bouncing excitedly. Opening the doors of the other caravan, Satoshi watched amusedly as Masaki just about vibrated on the spot. The others just shook their heads fondly as Satoshi said, “Go on, have some fun.”  
  
As soon as he’d said that, Masaki was off like a rocket, running into the forest, whooping excitedly. It had been a long time since he’d been back in the forest he’d grown up running in, and he was overjoyed to finally be back. “You guys go and join him. I’ll stay to take care of our things,” Becky offered.  
  
“Thanks, Becky!” Sho yelled, running to catch up with the others. Becky laughed as she watched the forest that she felt so comfortable in swallow her friends (and crush) up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This... got out of hand... I'd planned to go straight to the climax, but instead this mid-plot bunny had to grab this and take it in another direction. So, there's only a few chapters left to go provided I don't get side-tracked again XD I'm planning to do a double update today, so keep a lookout for that! I still have to type it up haha :)


	21. Chapter Twenty

Masaki seemed to know where he was going, navigating through the forest with ease. Yelling unintelligibly, he teleported from tree to tree, running around his friends. The others, however, did not have much luck. They crashed into branches and tripped over tree roots. Finally, they ended up in a clearing, where Masaki ran to the centre. He smiled and said, “I used to come here and play all the time before I was taken when all of you were busy.”  
  
He then started making animal noises, or more specifically, imitating a bird’s call. As he produced the sound, the others watched quietly as animals crept out from the undergrowth and approached Masaki. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, deer… all kinds of animals you could find in a forest.  
  
Then a bear emerged. The others reared back in shock, about to run forward and fling Masaki out of the way, but then Masaki turned to it and his face lit up. “Tsuki!” he exclaimed. The bear sat down heavily just as Masaki started running to it. Just before he collided with the bear, it scooped him up and Masaki laughed, hugging its nose. “Long time no see, Tsuki! You’ve grown so much! I bet you’re old now!” Masaki said excitedly.  
  
The smaller animals chittered as the bear, Tsuki apparently, made bear noises in reply. Masaki laughed again. “Tsuki, let me down!” he said. Tsuki did as she was told and let him down. Masaki sat in the ‘V’ of the bear’s legs as the smaller animals crowded around him. As the humans slowly relaxed and sat down, watching Masaki, Kazunari said to Sho, “I should have remembered that he can talk to animals and they love him. Also, I think he’s mentioned Tsuki before.” Sho nodded.  
  
“Jun, should you teleport Becky and the caravans here? I have a feeling this is going to take a while. It’s quite a big clearing, so you can do it at the side of the clearing,” Sho suggested. Jun nodded and teleported out with Shun. When they teleported back with Becky and the caravans, the smaller animals had gotten curious about the others and had crept up to them.  
  
Jun immediately went as far away from the animals as possible. “Jun?” Sho called. Kazunari sniggered. “For some reason, animals don’t like him even though he loves them, so he just avoids them in general,” he explained. The fact that animals hated Jun was a secret carefully kept by the person himself, but Kazunari had stumbled about this secret years ago when he found Jun trying to get a rabbit to come to him instead of running away.  
  
He’d kept the secret for years upon seeing Jun’s near-heartbroken look when the rabbit ran away from him, but he decided that this secret did not have to remain a secret any longer, and took devious pleasure in telling Sho this secret. Of course, it just made Sho look fond. Masaki, noticing this, whispered something to the animals and let them run free. They all ran in the general direction of Jun, who shot a terrified look at Sho. Becky moved to sit with Masaki, greeting Tsuki.  
  
Tsuki gladly allowed her to sit, saying that she would do anything for ‘their prince’s mate’. “You told them not to bite him or harm him?” Becky asked. “Yeah. Jun-tan always becomes sad when he can’t approach animals, so I told them not to run, so Jun can relax and have fun!” Masaki replied. Becky smiled, watched how the animals clamoured for Jun to pet them. The others were already busy with their own group of animals while Masaki, Becky and Tsuki watched on.  
  
After a while of silence, Masaki said, “Would It be weird if I said that I want to make you my wife?” Becky thought for a moment and replied, “Your confession and proposal have been accepted, but you have to accept that I will still travel around.”  
  
“It’s fine, as long as you’re happy with me,” Masaki beamed, daring to put an arm around Becky. Becky leaned into it, smiling softly. “I am,” she smiled softly, happily. After a few hours, they made Masaki say goodbye to his long-lost friends, finally heading for the city.  
  
When they entered the actual city, they realized that the city was bustling.  
  
Becky explained, “Since Xantara is the final destination for the Royals, there’s always a festival whenever they come. Also, Xantara is where the Royals allow commoners to consult them for things for the longest period of time.” “That’s where we’ll have to go, then,” Sho said. The rest nodded. First, they went to find an inn so that they could set down their things. Upon seeing the emblem of the Oguri noble family, the innkeepers scrambled to provide the best they could for them. After they had set down their things, they split up again, after they had set up a mind-link.  
  
As the couples explored, or in Becky’s case, return to report to her father, Jun and Sho debated if they should buy more supplies. They had gotten a fair bit of money (and lost a fair bit of time) helping villages when they passed by, including the Air village that they had helped. As a reward, when they left, they were plied with food, supplies and monetary rewards. As such, they were unsure if they needed the supplies.  
  
There was also the added reason that if they managed to go home, they would not need those supplies anymore. They discussed for a bit before deciding that they would not need to buy any more supplies. They met up with the others again and walked to the Earth palace together after wandering around for a while and exploring. The queue in front of the Earth palace ran long, stretching into the distance. “This will take a while, won’t it??” Kazunari sighed.  
  
They looked at the queue in trepidation. After much discussion, they walked the long distance to the end of the line. They had decided that they would queue in shifts, taking turns to wait for their turn. Shun had told them that some people stayed to queue overnight even if the gates were closed. So, in order to ensure that they got to meet their parents, they would take turns to queue so that the others could explore the city more.  
  
Shun and Toma took first shift, as they had been here before recently, unlike the other boys who had not been to Xantara in a long time. Masaki dragged Kazunari and the others everywhere, sharing fond memories with them and finding all his  ‘friends’ from when he was a child, such as Tsuki.  
  
After Tsuki, they had met a squirrel (Mitsu), a few pegasi and griffins (That had been an interesting experience, to say the least. Let’s just say that Sho’s acrophobia, which was not previously known of even by Sho himself, had made its appearance. The pegasi and griffins were so incredibly amused with them.  Kazunari had found new companions to fly with.) and a tigress. Kana, the tigress, was incredibly old and wise.  
  
It seemed that she had taken care of Masaki when he had gotten lost in the forest, and that she conversed frequently with Masaki’s parents even after his disappearance. Her faith that Masaki would return was unshakable, which cause a lot of tears on Masaki’s end. Her cubs seemed to remember the young human prince, and rough-housed with him playfully.  
  
They then returned to the queue, Sho and Jun taking the next shift. After long hours of waiting, it became obvious that they would not be meeting their parents until tomorrow. When night fell, the queue shortened considerably as people left the queue to go home. Sho chased everyone off back to the inn, stating that since he was a Fire elemental, he would not feel the cold like the others would at night. Jun frowned, but said nothing.  
  
As soon as daybreak came, Jun left the inn with a blanket and some warm food. He found Sho playing around with a small fireball, letting the fire trail up and down his arms. As Jun watched, unnoticed, Sho looked around quickly (Jun was behind him) and turned his arms to magma. As Sho amused himself with his own powers and making patterns in the air, Jun reached out with his own power and brushed against Sho’s mind.  
  
Sho opened his mind, and Jun whispered,  _“Turn around.”_  before retreating from his lover’s mind. Sho did as he was told, brightening  when he caught sight of the food. “Food!” he groaned. “No love for me?” Jun teased, as Sho wolfed down the food. Sho made a gesture, pointing to his temple, and Jun understood, creating a mind-link between them.  
  
The mind-link pulsed with love as Sho tried to convey the amount of love he felt for him while still eating. Jun blushed, sensing all the love the older had for him, and for the others too. Smiling softly at each other, Jun informed Sho that he would be opening the mind-link. Sho nodded, mouth full.  
  
“Guys, wake up. The gates are going to open, and once you get washed up and eat it’ll almost be our turn,” Jun said, nudging them mentally. Jun sensed as the others slowly transitioned from sleeping to being awake. It was not the first time that Jun had woken them up this way.  
  
It made Jun’s mother hen instincts calm down (though the same could not be said for Sho). As the two waited for the rest of them to join them in the queue, they  watched as the gates opened, allowing for a few commoners to walk through. Thereafter, the guards blocked the entrance, causing the flurry that had started to slowly cease. They were much closer to the gates than the previous day, and Sho estimated that they had about an hour or so of waiting time left.  
  
There were many people that claimed that they were the long-lost heirs to the throne, but they were all exposed in the end, as Becky had told them. The trader had slept in the room they had rented for her in the inn, but had gotten up even earlier than Jun to get to her father’s mines so that she could go in with them later. Soon, the others had joined them and Kazunari said, “Everyone got their necklaces and gemstones? I have a gut feeling that we’re going to need them.”  
  
Kazunari’s instincts were not to be trifled with. It had saved them from falling trees and savage beasts back in Johnny’s small stretch of land. Everyone nodded. When they were next in line, Becky showed up and joined them. As they chatted, the guards blocking the entrance moved, letting the commoners leave and enter.  
  
As they walked into the palace compound, Jun kept a tight grip on Masaki’s wrist, not trusting Masaki to not wander off to explore his home. The Earth elemental tensed regularly upon seeing familiar faces then relaxed. It would do them no good to wander off so close to the big reveal, and Masaki knew that. They stopped at the grand doors to the throne room, looking at each other. Nodding in reassurance to each other, they stepped through the door into the throne room as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Highly likely this is turning out to be a triple update instead of just a double update oops. XD Also let's just assume that the animals in this universe can live for a very long time, yeah? Oh yeah, and there's no discrimination in this universe, so everyone's free to be with whoever they want. Even the nobles and Royals. Because men can get pregnant in this universe. Did I mention that before? No? Well, now you know! XD


	22. Chapter Twenty-one

The mind-link thrummed with sadness and love and a mixture of other emotions as the boys caught sight of their families after almost six years. It seemed so long ago, but yet was only six years. Toma and Shun smiled sadly. Sho’s heart clenched, seeing Shun and Mai all grown up. He had missed too many important events – all of them had.  
  
“What problems do you have?” Satoshi’s father asked. Sho stepped forward, gesturing the other four to do so as well while Shun, Toma and Becky hung back. “We have come to regain our birthright that was taken from us when we were taken from this very castle.” Sho’s voice rang out across the throne room.  
  
The Royals sat on a podium that had ten thrones and a few smaller but no less grand chairs built on it. More noticeably were five empty chairs on the right of the kings of the kingdoms. Their mothers sat on the left of the fathers, with their siblings behind, but still able to look out from the podium. “If you are who you say you are, you would mind going through a little test, will you?” the head of the Ohno family stared down at the group of eight.  
  
“Of course not, your Majesty,” Sho replied, after he had all of the others’ agreements and reassurances through the mind-link. “Excellent. State your names, dates of birth, and show your elements.” His tone brooked no argument, and spoke of a man who had done this countless times. They went in order of age, with Satoshi going first.  
  
Sho joined the others as they stood in two rows of five and three. This would be the first time in six years that they would be speaking their last names out loud, in front of people.  
  
“Ohno Satoshi, born November 26, AY* 427. Water element,” Satoshi started. He formed a small ball of water from the nearby fountain before controlling it to flow in a circle, then letting it flow back to the fountain. He then stepped back, letting Sho go in front.  
  
“Sakurai Sho, born January 25, AY 428. Fire element,” Sho was next, creating a small fireball that he twined around his arms, before shaping it back into a small ball and throwing it at Satoshi. Long used to little pranks like this, Satoshi put the fireball out with a wave of his hand, creating a small wave of water in the air, also splashing Sho as payback.  
  
Both Sho and where the fireball had been in the air steamed as the water came into contact with them. After a judging look from Kazunari, Sho’s playful smile turned sheepish. Jun shook his head, fondly exasperated. Masaki giggled, stepping forward.  
  
“Aiba Masaki, born December 24, AY 428,” he smiled, stomping his foot on the ground lightly. He then shaped a ball from the earth that he had extracted from the floor of the throne room, before flattening it and letting it fill the hole he had created in the ground.  
  
“Ninomiya Kazunari, born June 17, AY 429,” Kazunari came forward next. He refused to look at the man he called his father, and created a small gust of wind, forming a small spinning ball of air. He then split the ball into two and flattened them, turning them into spinning discs of air. He then let them circle around the throne room, dissipating once they made one full circle. Jun, as the youngest, was last.  
  
“Matsumoto Jun, born August 30, AY 429,” Jun stepped forward. He looked around, spotting a pitcher. Concentrating, he picked up the pitcher with his mind and brought it to himself, catching it. The pitcher never shook, showing his exemplary control over his powers. He then put it on a nearby table, retreating.  
  
“Very well. And what of you three?” Sho’s father asked.  
  
“Heir to the Oguri family, Oguri Shun.”  
  
“Heir to the Ikuta family and consort to the Oguri family, Ikuta Toma.”  
  
“Heir to the Vaughan gemstone mining company, Rebecca Eri Ray Vaughan.” The three introduced themselves. “Here to vouch for their claiming of birthright, your Highness,” Shun said. “I see. Well, the names and dates certainly match the elements,” Satoshi’s father said. “If I may suggest, your Majesty?” one of the nobles standing nearby spoke up. “Of course, Kawaguchi-san,” Satoshi’s father gave permission.  
  
Upon hearing the name of the noble that had spoken up, the boys’ heads snapped to the noble. The noble’s face was instantly recognizable, and they were pleased to find that he looked like he had been eaten by a dragon, chewed up and spit out because he tasted disgusting.  _“The person that had taken Kazu…”_  Sho said.  
  
“I suggest that as a test, we put them through a battle with the strongest boys we have. The sons of the families next in line for the thrones will do,” Kawaguchi suggested, a glint in his eyes. “ _That means that we’re going to have to fight their sons?”_  Masaki asked. _“Don’t underestimate their sons. They are the next families in line for the thrones for a reason,”_ Shun replied.  
  
“That sounds like a fine idea! However, before we allow this battle to happen, I must check one last thing. Show us your birthright necklaces,” Jun’s father said.  _“I bet you Satoshi’s dad forgot,”_  Sho laughed.  _“They must have their own mind-link set up, I recognize that expression that Satoshi’s father has! It’s the same one Satoshi makes when he forgets something and one of us reminds him!”_ Kazunari teased.  
  
As they talked, they unclasped their birthright necklaces from their necklaces, holding them up. Shun, Toma and Becky hid their smiles as the banter in the mind-link grew, the five boys’ voices overlapping each other as they argued playfully. The gemstones gleamed in the light, seemingly swirling with stored magic. Just visible on the gemstones was the crest of each family etched on them. The Royals were visible taken aback, hope welling up in their hearts.  
  
The birthright necklaces were something that was passed down through the generations, and having them were proof of their birthright. The previous imposters that had tried to lay claim on the heirs’ position had all panicked upon hearing of a birthright necklace, but these boys had them and presented them without hesitation.  
  
Sakurai stared down at the boy that had claimed was his son. His eldest had grown up well. He smiled inwardly, but knew the battle had to proceed in order to not offend the nobles. “That’s… that’s excellent to see. However, as a test over your control of magic, the battle will commence at the training arena,” Masaki’s father said.  
  
The mind-link that the Royals had echoed with the words “It’s them!” and “They’ve come home!” as they looked upon their long-lost family member. A pair of guards guided the group to the arena. The Earth castle’s training arena was next to the forest, and was visible from the castle gates. Word had spread of the battle about to commence, and spectators pressed against the castle gates, wanting to get a good view.  
  
The training arena was a large circular field, and as servants retrieved chairs for the Royals and nobles, Shun, Toma and Becky stood at the side. The five boys walked to the side of the arena that was facing the nobles, back facing the spectators. As they watched and waited, five other boys came out from the castle entrance to the arena.  
  
 _“They look so proud and confident in their abilities,”_  Kazunari snorted.  _“Jun, can you get a good read on their power levels?”_  Sho asked. Jun scanned them and his face turned serious.  _“Their power levels are at 78% of ours. Considering how strong we are at 100%, that is formidable,”_  Jun relayed to them.  _“Monitor their power levels during the battle to see how much they’re exerting. I want to see how weak they think we are. Kazu, game plan?”_  Sho said.  
  
After Jun’s acknowledgement, Kazunari said,  _“They probably aren’t in on their father’s plan, but it’s still best to be careful. Power levels at 30% first, to get their guard down. Then slowly amp up our power levels until we beat them.”_  Kazunari’s plan was simple, but effective. When fighting with bandits that they had encountered during their almost-a-year long travels, this plan had almost always worked. Just then, Kazunari’s father said, “Both sides, are you ready?”  
  
At their nods, Sho’s father announced, “Let the battle begin!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *AY – Arashian Year
> 
> Right. Another update. Three in one day. It's going to be four in one day and I'm just speechless. I'll see you in the next chapter. Yep.


	23. Chapter Twenty-two

As soon as Sho’s father said that, one of the nobles’ sons threw a large fireball at them. Sho did not move, unaffected by fire. Satoshi extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand, while Jun redirected the flame and Kazunari launched himself into the air, careful to not let his wings come out. Masaki raised both his hands, creating a barrier.  
  
 _“Strong first attack. Jun, how strong was that?”_  Kazunari asked.  _“They’re at 60%.Can we name them? Since they are wearing their elemental colours like us let’s just call them A, B, C, D and E. Water elemental is A, Fire is B, Earth is C, Air is D and E is Spirit. Everyone got it? Okay,”_ Jun said.  _“New game plan. We’re gonna go with freeform attack. Whoever attacks you, block it and counter. Watch out for each other’s backs and help block and attack if necessary. Power levels amp up to 45%,”_  Kazunari announced.  
  
All five of them grinned dangerously. Shun, Toma and Becky, who were still part of the mind-link, swallowed. They’d seen their version of freeform attack once when the rabid monsters from the no man’s land and bandits had attacked them at the same time. The only word to describe it was ‘terrifying’.  
  
Freeform attacks were their favourite game plan, if they had to say. As they discussed game plans in the mind-link, they launched various attacks. Sho launched a giant fireball at D, sending a stream of fire towards C at the same time. As D put up a carbon dioxide barrier to put out the fireball, the stream of fire heading towards C split into two, hitting D in the back and burning him.  
  
The stream of fire that was heading towards C was easily blocked and countered with small earth missiles. Kazunari sent a gust of air in Sho’s direction, diverting the missiles. At the same time, Satoshi created a ball of water and froze it, turning it into ice. Masaki sent a small ball of earth his way, shattering the ice into shards. Satoshi maintained perfect control over the ice shards, while launching himself up with a jet of water to dodge an attack, and sent the ice shards flying, easily dodging the other four and going straight for the ‘Alphabet’ boys, as dubbed by Kazunari.  
  
The shards of ice were also so small that they were unnoticed until they had embedded themselves in the stomachs of the Alphabet boys. Just then, the Alphabet boys’ attacks became so much stronger.  _“They’ve amped up to 90%!”_  Jun yelled. However, they could not amp up their defenses in time as in the exhilaration of battle, they’d forgotten about the gemstones that Mao had given them, and Satoshi and Sho went down, injured by multiple attacks.  
  
“Satoshi!” “Sho!” Kazunari and Jun exclaimed at the same time. The spectators quietened down as Jun threw up a box-like barrier around the five of them to block all the attacks. The Royals and Shun, Toma and Becky watched apprehensively as Kawaguchi and the other nobles in the plan smirked. Masaki picked up Sho’s unconscious body and placed him gently next to Satoshi, the two youngest rushing to their partners.  
  
 _“Masaki, you stay here and heal them. I’ll maintain this barrier so that you don’t have to worry about attacks. Focus on healing them. Oh, and hold this for us, will you?”_  Kazunari said, eyes determined. He and Jun both removed the gemstones that Mao had given them from their necklaces, and passed them to Masaki for safekeeping. The Alphabet boys, upon seeing that their attacks had no effect, stood around, waiting for the moment the barrier went down.  
  
“Give them hell.” Masaki was unnaturally serious, already beginning to heal their two oldest. His voice rang out across the arena and sent shivers down everyone’s spine. “Of course.” If Masaki’s voice was chilling, Jun’s was downright icy. With that, Jun and Kazunari stood up from where they were crouched by their lovers’ bodies, Jun shrinking the barrier to only cover Masaki and their lovers.  
  
However, as the Alphabet boys started attacking, Jun and Kazunari remained unharmed from the barriers Jun had put up around them. “You know,” Kazunari started, “you hear about how the Fire elementals are scary when they’re mad. All the explosions and eruptions and whatnot. And Water elementals are nice when not provoked, but when they’re mad, they’re trouble as well.” Though he said it quietly, everyone could clearly hear what he said.  
  
“However,” Jun continued, “Have you ever seen an Air elemental and a Spirit elemental angry?” At the word ‘angry’, dust started swirling around the two, the Alphabet boys’ attacks still having no effects. “We were only at 45% just now when we fought you guys. You five just earned yourselves the experience of our attacks at full power,” Jun’s voice was conversational, like he was talking to a friend.  
  
As they spoke, they slowly amped up their powers to 100%, Kazunari’s wings bursting out. Their eyes glowed purple and yellow respectively, the reason why they had not been allowed to use their powers at 100% in public. When a very strong elemental magic user used his full power, his eyes tended to glow the colour of his element, giving him away. The nobles had the immediate feeling of ‘Oh shit we screwed up’ as they watched their sons’ expressions turn into ones of fear.  
  
One flap of Kazunari’s wings and he rose up into the air, wings flapping to maintain the height. Jun rose up himself, using his powers. They’d stopped speaking now, too angry to speak. Kazunari formed several air blades, sending them towards the Alphabet boys at a very high speed. Jun gave the air blades a little push, making them even faster. The blades sliced through the skin as if it was flimsy paper, and many cuts appeared.  
  
Then, Jun raised one hand and slowly clenched it into a fist and raised it into the air. All five of the Alphabet boys rose into the air, struggling against an invincible constraint. Kazunari then raised both hands, placing them palm to palm. He clenched them into fists slowly, and made a pulling motion slowly, until his arms were perpendicular to his body.  
  
The Alphabet boys started gasping for air as all of the oxygen in their bodies was slowly squeezed out of them. In their rage, they did not care for mercy. All they wanted was to crush the people that had harmed their lovers. Kazunari stopped the gesture, though the boys showed no sign of being able to breathe. He then sent air blades to slowly cut different parts of their bodies.  
  
He briefly contemplated with Jun whether to blind them or amputate their limbs, but decided against it, as it would be too bloody. Instead, he made thin cuts on their skin, enough for blood to trickle out, but not so much as to cause them to die. Jun raised his other hand and teleported so that the Alphabet boys had their backs to him.  
  
Making a gripping motion and twisting his hand, the Alphabet boys would have screamed if they could as their spines were slowly broken, vertebrae by vertebrae. Their spinal cords were left untouched for later. Kazunari let them breathe to regain the oxygen they needed, and smiled icily as the first thing they did as they gasped for air was to scream in pain. Just then, Masaki finished healing Sho and Satoshi, the barrier surrounding him long gone.  
  
“Guys, I’m done healing them. Now all we have to do is to wait for them to wake up,” Masaki informed the two floating in the air cheerily. All Kazunari and Jun did was to glance at Masaki. As Masaki spoke, he took off his own gemstone that Mao had given him, placing them next to Sho with Kazunari’s and Jun’s. “Do I get a turn?” he asked them with his normal exuberance, only this time it made the people want to run away as far as they could.  
  
Becky’s face was pale, but not due to disgust. She knew that the Alphabet boys deserved all they got. Shun and Toma had not seen this bloodthirsty part to their childhood friends before, but given that they were angry… it was to be expected. The Royals never spoke up, watching intently.  
  
The nobles just watched as their children suffered for their fathers’ deeds. Jun stopped breaking the Alphabet boys’ vertebrae, keeping them in the air. Masaki saw this as permission and nodded in unholy, bloodthirsty glee. His eyes glowed green as he caused the ground to tremble as he walked towards the Alphabet boys, slowly walking to their height as towers of earth rose, as if a moving staircase. “Hello, boys. Seems like you’ve gotten yourself into a pinch, haven’t you?” Masaki’s voice was light.  
  
He raised his hands, lifting up several nut-sized balls of earth from the arena ground. They then zoomed towards different locations of the five boys’ bodies. It might have seemed random, but no, Masaki knew what he was doing. He was breaking different bones in their bodies, such as the femur and other bones.  
  
The boys’ screams echoed throughout the arena, the spectators silenced from the gruesome sight. Jun and the others had long since proven that they were the true long-lost heirs to the throne, but they were too engulfed by their rage to see sense. Just then, Satoshi and Sho regained consciousness.  
  
They sat up slowly, looking around. Upon seeing the torture session going on, the two of them glanced at each other worriedly. Sho grabbed the gemstones Mao had given them and passed Satoshi the yellow gemstone. Then, they took off their own control gemstones and let their full power come to them. Their eyes glowed red and blue as they approached their lovers, using jets of fire and water respectively to propel themselves to the height that their lover were floating at. Even though Satoshi and Sho were right in front of them, neither Kazunari nor Jun showed any recognition. They sighed.  
  
Then Satoshi opened his mouth and started to sing. Kazunari had written a song for them just before they left Johnny’s cottage, called ‘A.RA.SHI’. It was written with the hopes that they would be able to meet up with their parents and stay together. As Satoshi sang, Sho’s voice joined in, in the hopes that they would be able to bring all three of their family back. As they sang, slowly the Alphabet boys were lowered to the ground, along with the three rage-filled boys.  
  
The longer Sho and Satoshi sang, the more the three returned to themselves. Between one blink and the next, their eyes changed back to their usual chocolate-brown colour. “Satoshi?” “Sho?” Kazunari and Jun said, dazed. “You sang our song,” Masaki smiled, before all three of them passed out. Satoshi and Sho stopped singing, bringing their power levels back down and slipping the control gemstones back onto each of their necklaces.  
  
“Shun,” Satoshi called. The three watching at the side rushed forward. “Help me with Masaki?” Sho asked. Shun nodded and hefted Masaki into his arms, while Sho and Satoshi did the same with Jun and Kazunari. As they walked towards their parents, leaving Earth medics to heal the Alphabet boys, their parents stood up, walked over to them and then hugged Satoshi and Sho, thankful for the return of their sons.  
  
They then turned as one large family and walked back into the castle, leaving the nobles and the Alphabet boys behind. They would be dealt with soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO NOT POST FOR THE NEXT MONTH AT LEAST. (Subject to change) BUT STILL. ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY. AND I STILL HAVEN'T WATCHED MY LOVE CON. RAAAAAH.


	24. Epilogue

** 1 year later after the return of the heirs **

It was in a cottage that the meeting took place in, or more specifically, Johnny’s cottage. In addition to Johnny himself, four others were at the table, chatting as Johnny brought in dinner. “Well, it’s been a while since we’ve gathered together. Was the last time the year the heirs was lost?” one man said, clad in green robes. “Yes, it was. Speaking of the heirs, how is the situation in the cities, Johnny?” one in yellow robes replied.

“All is well. The boys have cleared up the forests of the monsters, as you can see. Commoners are beginning to leave the towns and cities more to explore, which is good,” Johnny informed the others, sitting down at the head of the table. “I heard rumours of the Spirit boy being pregnant,” the one in purple robes said. “Yes, he is. I spoke to them the week before. The Spirit boy is going to join the Sakurai family while his sister takes up the throne. The same goes for the Water boy. He’s going to hand over the throne to his sister and join the Ninomiya family. All parties have given consent. The girl is to be married to the Earth heir in two months,” Johnny explained. He gestured for them to eat. “Enough about the boys, how are all of you doing?” Johnny asked.

“Well, no one is as active as you, Johnny. I’m staying high up in the mountains of the Earth kingdom now. I have a sizeable garden up there, that I give to passing miners,” the man in green robes said. “Unlike you, Ogura, I’m currently taking care of a few dragons at the Dragonriders’ Academy. I also teach a few classes there,” the man in red robes said to the man in green robes. “What about you, Watanabe?” Johnny asked the man in blue robes. “I’m helping medics from different hospitals as I travel around the kingdoms,” he replied. “I’m planning to explore beyond the kingdoms,” the man in yellow robes said.

This statement was met with silence. “You mean, the North, Yanagisawa?” the man in red robes asked. “I’m thinking about heading West, actually, Katsumura,” the man in yellow robes replied. “Hey, do you think the boys will be up to it? A brand new adventure to the West!” he continued. “That, we shall have to ask them ourselves, won’t we?” Johnny chuckled.

** In the Spirit castle – 2 months after the return of the heirs **

“Okaa-san?” Jun approached his mother in the sitting room. “Yes, Jun?” his mother put down her sewing and drew him into a hug. Jun hugged back for a while and drew back. “Who is Johnny Kitagawa?” he asked. His mother looked surprised at his question. “He’s the Spirit elder, why are you asking?” she replied. “What do you mean by Elders?” Jun asked, curious.

“Elders are elementals that are very strong in their element, just like you five. Anyone that is very strong and has a good character will become an Elder once they reach 70 years of age,” his mother explained. “Well, that explains a lot…” Jun muttered, thanking his mother.

** 1 year and 6 months after the return of the heirs **

The five boys knocked on the door of Johnny’s cottage. “Welcome! Come in, come in! I heard the good news,” Johnny opened the door and ushered them in. “Jun, I expect that you came here for some answers. How’s the baby? You’re what, eight months along now?” Johnny asked, after they had settled down. Jun nodded. “Do you remember what happened when I first met you boys? In the cage?” Johnny asked.

“I touched the lock to figure out if I could unlock it and it melted into a puddle. I thought I could do it on the cage, but it was too hard for me,” Jun said. The other four boys sat, not interfering. “That was probably the time you five started developing your powers,” Johnny explained, “only very strong Spirit elementals can manipulate metal, Jun. Try manipulating this now.” He handed Jun a cube of metal. Jun cupped the metal in his hands, a frown creasing his forehead as he concentrated. Slowly, the metal warped, becoming a flat square disk in his hand, before forming a ball. Jun then put in on the table, sweat beading his forehead.

“Your powers will only get stronger as you grow older, all of you. You all have to practice frequently and discharge enough so that you will not be too overwhelmed by your magic. Now, I have a question for all of you. When Jun gives birth, how do you feel to an adventure?” Johnny smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short epilogue is a short epilogue. (Edit: Some of my friends said something was missing from this epilogue. Well, I suck at epilogues, so you can have this shitty one. In spite of the ending, I will most likely NOT be making a sequel. I will however make short drabbles I guess. In the far future.)
> 
> I would like to thank a few people who have helped me in the course of this story, namely Ava, Nicole and Octavia, to name a few. Thank you to all my readers, whether or not you comment. Thank you all for staying with me in spite of the irregular updates.
> 
> It seems apt, then, to make an announcement. I have a new story in the works, aside from my ‘rainbow on your wrist’ series. If you haven’t checked my series out, please do! It’s an OT5 soulmate series :) So, here’s an excerpt from my new story! Be warned that this is just about the only confirmed part. I have no idea when or how I’m going to write it. I have not even come up with a title oops. I do know, however, that two of the members will be girls. If you're still interested, please stay tuned for more updates!
> 
> Excerpt:
> 
> “Hey, hey, have you heard?” a girl asked another as they walked home from school.
> 
> “About what?”
> 
> “The new teachers! It’s said that they come like a storm, strong and clever, leaving no area untouched!”
> 
> “Where did you hear that from?”
> 
> “From my dad! He’s a teacher in another school. He told me that if they come to any school, that school is sure to be wiped out of all bullying and discrimination.”
> 
> “Isn’t that good for us? We won’t be bullied anymore! They’re pretty cute, too, even the female ones.”
> 
> “Good luck with that. They’re all taken, except for one.”
> 
> “What? Ugh, what a pity.”
> 
> -
> 
> This will be edited to suit the story once I write it, but the basic conversation goes like this :) please stay tuned! Thank you very much for reading The Missing!

**Author's Note:**

> X-posted to LJ


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